CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank Receives Prestigious Accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank is honored to announce that it has been accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy ("FACT"). CORD:USE is a leading public cord blood bank that specializes in the collection, processing, storage and distribution of donated cord blood. Cord blood has already been used for transplantation in more than 14,000 patients with over 70 life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, thalassemia, and sickle cell anemia.

"The Accreditation by FACT is an important milestone for CORD:USE," says Dr. Edward Guindi, President and CEO of CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank. "Obtaining FACT Accreditation for cord blood collection, processing, testing, banking, selection and release of unrelated allogeneic cord blood units validates the high quality procedures which CORD:USE and our world-class team utilize. This accreditation gives additional assurance to transplant physicians when choosing our units for their patients."

FACT is considered by many transplanters to be the premier accreditation organization in the cord blood banking industry. FACT is a non-profit, voluntary organization that develops, maintains and updates comprehensive standards for all aspects of cord blood collection, processing and transplantation. The process includes an examination and inspection from international panels of cord blood experts and at least one transplant physician. The examination team reviews all aspects of the cord blood banking process. Only those companies with consistent, well-documented processes that meet the standards developed by FACT in all areas are eligible for accreditation.

"We are extremely proud to be one of the elite cord blood banks worldwide who has met the stringent processes standards required for FACT accreditation and that provides the highest quality cord blood units for patients in need of potentially life-saving transplants," says Dr. Guindi.

About CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank

CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is creating a large, ethnically diverse, high quality inventory of available cord blood stem cell units for the many patients in need of a potentially life-saving transplant. CORD:USE has entered into agreements with hospitals across the country to provide mothers the option to donate their babies' cord blood. CORD:USE makes these cord blood units available to transplanters throughout the country and around the world, as a critical component in their patients' treatment. CORD:USE lists all of its units on the National Marrow Donor Program's Registry. For more information, please visit www.corduse.com.

SOURCE CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank

RELATED LINKS
http://www.corduse.com