Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) is one of the world’s largest and most experienced newborn stem cell companies. Since 1992, families have entrusted CBR to store more than 1 million cord blood and cord tissue samples. CBR has helped over 700 families use their cord blood samples as part of a stem cell transplant or for investigational regenerative applications. In their mission to advance the real-life applications of newborn stem cells, CBR stays at the forefront of the science in this ever-evolving industry. They advocate for their clients by providing invaluable resources like genetic counselors and clinical specialists to help answer medical questions pertaining to newborn stem cells. They also created the Family Health Registry TM . CBR client families who join the Family Health Registry are the first to know about important clinical trials that could potentially help their loved ones.
CBR’s laboratory is located in Tucson, Arizona, where cord blood and cord tissue collections are processed 365 days a year. Their state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to store five million newborn stem cell samples.
Call 1.888.CORDBLOOD to (International callers can call 1.650.635.1420):
Over the past 30 years, CBR has maintained its leadership in the industry by storing more than 1 million cord blood and cord tissue collections from over 47,000 healthcare providers in more than 100 countries. They’ve also helped more than 700 families use their cord blood stem cells for established transplant medicine uses or investigational regenerative medicine uses for conditions that have no cure today.
In August 2018, the newborn stem cell preservation companies CBR and FamilyCord merged as one brand under the umbrella of California Cryobank Life Sciences and became known as Generate Life Sciences. Their vision is to be the global leader in reproductive and stem cell services by helping to grow and protect healthy families.
At the end of 2021, Generate Life Sciences was acquired by CooperSurgical, a subsidiary of publicly-traded CooperCompanies (NYSE:COO). CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility and genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries.
Collection KitCBR utilizes the sterile Pall collection bag, which is pre-filled with citrate phosphate dextrose (CPD) anti-coagulant. An anticoagulant helps keep the cells from clotting during transportation. Having more cells available could mean more possibilities in the future.
In 2010, CBR pioneered cord tissue preservation in the U.S. CBR transports tissue in the CordCup® container, which contains an antibiotic solution that helps protect the tissue from contamination during transportation.
CBR’s validated, crush-resistant collection kit is built with a dense foam insulant that increases shock absorption and helps shield samples from extreme temperatures. It also helps ensure that their collection kit keeps samples safe and secure during transit.
Whether you're delivering at a hospital, birthing center, or your home, CBR’s couriers can come straight to you within a few hours, 365 days a year. Airspace is CBR's courier of choice. CBR also provides a secure chain of custody through Airspace, which means all samples are electronically tracked. Families can receive text or email updates on shipping and delivery.
Processing MethodCord Blood
CBR put a lot of thought into choosing their cord blood processing system. Fast, precise, and consistent results are a must—which is one of the many reasons CBR uses AutoXpress II® (AXP II®).
Cord Tissue
CBR stores newborn stem cells in the form of cord blood, cord tissue, or both.
CBR uses a seamless, multi-compartment cryobag, offering more protection for your cord blood samples by decreasing the potential for breakage that can occur in traditional, seamed-plastic storage bags. Additionally, all cord blood and cord tissue samples are placed in a second overwrap layer of plastic, which is hermetically sealed, as an extra precaution.
All units are stored in dewars, which are large, insulated vessels specially designed for long-term cryostorage. Units are suspended above a pool of liquid nitrogen that creates a vapor-phase environment kept at minus 196 degrees Celsius. This keeps the units as cold as liquid nitrogen without immersing them in liquid, which can enable cross-contamination. CBR also protects clients’ samples in the following ways:
Visit CBR’s Comparison Guide to learn more about their storage and laboratory facility.
How long can units remain viable in cryopreservation? Cord blood cells stored for 23 years have been shown to behave similarly to freshly collected cord blood cells (references). Based on this information, it is believed that, when stored properly, cord blood units should be able to be stored indefinitely.
CBR maintains standards for cellular therapy services through FDA registration, CLIA certification, and AABB accreditation. As a family cord blood storage provider, CBR adheres to standards from various regulatory agencies and accrediting bodies, including:
Additionally, they have biologic and laboratory licenses in the following states:
Since quality management and consistency are so important to CBR, it has sought additional testing and licensing to become an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. This way, clients know that CBR will handle each sample with the highest standards of care, consideration, and consistency.
Advancing the science of newborn stem cells is central to CBR’s mission. That’s why they were the first family newborn stem cell company to partner with leading research institutions to establish FDA-regulated clinical trials exploring the potential regenerative ability of cord blood stem cells to help treat conditions that have no cure today. These included autism, acquired hearing loss, cerebral palsy, and pediatric stroke. In addition to clinical trials, CBR has also released cord blood units for use in other investigational settings. In fact, 80% of the cord blood units released by CBR have been used for experimental regenerative therapies.
As of the end of 2022, CBR has released more than 700 cord blood samples for use by their client families. Fully 100% of the samples have been deemed suitable for use by the treating physician. CBR also has a dedicated and highly experienced Transplant Team that helps simplify the use process for families and the treating facility.
CBR takes quality seriously. They also understand that parents are making an investment in their newborn’s stem cells. That’s why CBR informs families about the quality of their samples, helping them protect their investment.
Since it was founded, CBR has allocated millions of dollars to support its Newborn Possibilities Program® (NPP). The NPP assists families with a qualifying medical need by covering all costs for processing their child’s newborn stem cells and preserving them for five years. As of Sept. 2021, the NPP has enrolled more than 10,000 families.
Newborn Possibilities Program
Families with a qualifying medical need can apply for five years of free preservation through CBR’s Newborn Possibilities Program. It’s CBR’s way of taking care of families that need it the most. If you think your family may qualify, call to speak with a Genetic Counselor. Experts are just a phone call away. CBR’s team of genetic counselors are here to guide families through each step of the preservation process and answer questions about how newborn stem cells may be applicable for their family history.
