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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Santa Ana, CA, United States, 07/29/2008 - Unlike companies that only preserve cord blood, LifebankUSA is the first and only cord blood bank in the USA to store and release placenta-derived stem cells for transplant. LifebankUSA’s goal is to help medical professionals educate their patients.
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LifebankUSA encourages medical professionals to educate patients about the advantages of placenta-cord banking. It strives to assist medical professionals with educating about cord blood banking options, with the understanding that not all cord blood banks offer the same.
LifebankUSA has provided thousands of parents and healthcare professionals with education and peace of mind by offering a revolutionary stem cell banking service known by the medical community as Placenta-Cord banking. Expecting parents choose Placenta-Cord banking because of the better treatment options offered by placenta-derived stem cells and cord blood stem cells compared to stem cells from only the cord blood, while healthcare professionals recommend it because of the additional lifesaving stem cells their patients obtain with Placenta-Cord banking. With the understanding that patients with access to more stem cells also have access to better lifesaving treatments, more and more health care professionals are now recommending to potential cord blood banking patients that if they are planning to bank their babies’ stem cells they should strive to bank as many CD34+ stem cells (blood forming cells that matter most for treatment success) as possible.
Expecting parents can now bank the most stem cells possible through this leading cord blood banking option that enables them to bank stem cells from 2 sources: the placenta and the cord blood. This unique placenta-derived stem cell and cord blood banking option provides expecting parents with the most CD34+ stem cells possible—and using more CD34+ stem cells has been shown to improve transplant success and patient survival in the treatment of potentially life-threatening diseases and conditions. In fact, the older brother of a baby whose placenta-derived stem cells and cord blood stem cells were banked with LifebankUSA in 2007 underwent a transplant using both placenta-derived and cord blood units to treat a potentially fatal type of leukemia. “The patient is doing extremely well and, in fact, was discharged from the hospital one-to-two weeks earlier compared to traditional cord blood transplants,” said Lolie C. Yu, M.D., who took part in this groundbreaking Placenta-Cord transplant.
Prospective parents need not fear a lengthy or complicated process to bank their child’s cord blood and placenta-derived stem cells. The company's dedication to patient information, convenience, and providing its banking families with the industry’s highest quality and service at affordable prices is unrivaled. Enrolling in the program will allow parents to receive their collection kit. The kit needs to be taken with the expecting parents when they are admitted into a hospital for labor. The parents should remind their doctor of their wish to bank the stem cells from the cord blood and/or placenta. Collection takes approximately 5 minutes and is performed by a healthcare professional immediately following birth. After collection, a healthcare professional will securely store all relevant materials in the supplied kit and a certified courier will then deliver the kit to the LifebankUSA state-of-the-art facility for the stem cells from the cord blood and/or placenta to be processed and cryogenically stored. For additional information about cord blood banking and placenta-derived stem cells, visit the company’s website or call a cord blood and Placenta-Cord banking education specialist at 877-543-3226.
About LifebankUSA
LifebankUSA (lifebankusa.com), a Celgene company, is one of the largest cord blood banks in the world, and has provided cord blood banking services for tens of thousands of families worldwide. It has released dozens of stem cell units for transplant worldwide to treat numerous life-threatening diseases. LifebankUSA is also the world's first bank to allow families to collect and preserve stem cells derived from the placenta, as well as the umbilical cord (Placenta-Cord banking), to rebuild blood and the immune system, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. What further sets LifebankUSA apart is an active involvement in research along with its parent company Celgene, in a commitment to further the science of stem cells to help ensure a more promising future for both Placenta-Derived and umbilical cord blood stem cell therapies.
The chance that a child will use his/her own stored cells during their lifetime is estimated at 1 in 400 (J.J. Nietfeld and F. Verter). These odds may increase if there is a family history of certain blood disorders or cancers. The potential risks and benefits of stem cell transplantation vary and depend on many factors, such as the amount and quality of the stem cells collected, the HLA compatibility between recipient and donor, and the client’s overall health. Talk with your health care provider.
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info[.]lifebankusa.com 
