Cord Blood Banking Technology Breakthrough

NEW YORK, May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakthrough technology that harvests stem cells from the placenta was presented in an abstract written by Dr. Robert A. Dracker, Americord's Executive Medical Director, at the 27^th annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO).

The new stem cell harvesting technology enables parents to collect as many as twice the number of stem cells from the placenta and umbilical cord blood than existing technologies on the market.

Working with Americord, Dr. Dracker led the development of the proprietary technology. The company will soon make the product available to parents through its patent pending CordAdvantage cord blood banking product.

"Dr. Dracker has been a pioneer in the field of stem cell banking for more than 20 years, and once again he has led the charge with the development of a groundbreaking technology that will benefit countless families," said Americord CEO Martin Smithmyer.

Dr. Dracker is a pediatrician, hematologist/oncologist, transfusion medicine specialist, and experienced blood and stem cell banking pioneer. In addition to directing the development of CordAdvantage, he is responsible for all of Americord's laboratory, collection and transport protocols and procedures, licensing and accreditation, establishing quality controls and advising the company with respect to scientific and medical matters. Prior to joining Americord in 2010, he was Executive Medical Director for ViaCell (now ViaCord) and Medical Director of Biocyte, the first cord blood company. He was also part of the Working Group on Cord Blood Stem Cell Guidelines for New York State and was an architect of the New York State cord blood banking licensing requirements, considered to be the gold standard of cord blood banking accreditations.

"This is an incredible advancement in cord blood banking technology," said Dr. Dracker. "The research shows that it is possible to collect nearly double the number of stem cells from the placenta, which has very important benefits to parents that store their child's cord blood and stem cells after birth," added Dr. Dracker.

Americord is dedicated to delivering the highest quality stem cell collection and storage services at an affordable cost, while pursuing unique and innovative ways to improve the therapeutic utility of stem cells. The development of CordAdvantage is an important step in Americord's continuing effort to find innovative ways to address the current limitations of cord blood banking.  

About Americord

Americord is a leader in the advancement of umbilical cord blood, cord tissue and placenta tissue banking. Americord collects, processes, and stores newborn stem cells from umbilical cord blood for future medical or therapeutic use, including the treatment of more than 80 blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia. Founded in 2008, Americord is registered with the FDA and operates in all 50 states. The company's laboratory is CLIA Certified, accredited by the AABB and complies with all federal and state guidelines and applicable licenses. Americord is headquartered in New York, NY. You may visit Americord's website at cordadvantage.com for more information. You may also find Americord on Facebook and follow the company on Twitter.  

SOURCE Americord Registry