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Cord Blood
The New Jersey Cord Blood Bank
The Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program
Processing and Storing Your Baby�s Cord Blood
Our Processing
Umbilical cord blood units can be received 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Following collection at time of delivery, your baby�s cord blood unit is immediately shipped under highly controlled conditions to Community Blood Services� cord blood laboratory, which is equipped with the most advanced processing and storage technologies. The cord blood�s stem cells are processed the same day your baby�s unit is received in our laboratory. Samples are tested for cell viability, total nucleated cell count (TNC), sterility, infectious disease markers, number of stem cells, and blood type.
As one of the few banks designated to process and store umbilical cord blood for both public and private use, Community Blood Services maintains high industry standards. All processing and testing is performed following rigorous quality control standards set by state and federal regulatory agencies.
Unlike many other cord blood banks, Community Blood Services uses an advanced automated system, the SEPAX Cell Processing System, which allows for a closed and sterile environment for separating the cord blood components and processing the stem cell unit. SEPAX is the cord blood processing technology that has received 510K clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using SEPAX, stem cells can be rapidly and precisely extracted from the cord blood unit, without any manual intervention. This technology ensures that the volume and the quality of your baby�s stem cells are maximized, and that they remain healthy and contamination-free.
Our Freezing and Storage
Maintaining the viability and health of your baby�s stem cells throughout processing requires careful lowering of the temperature prior to freezing and storage. Our laboratory�s state-of-the-art automated mixing and cooling device, Coolmix, offers a controlled freezing process that ensures the cell�s integrity and future viability. Once the stem cells are brought to the optimum temperature, they are placed in a storage cartridge and then into a storage tank. You can be assured your baby�s cord blood unit will be kept at the correct temperature at all times thanks to our back-up generators and battery system. Public and private family units are stored separately in freezers located in specifically designated storage areas.
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