Cord Blood Registry Named Bioscience Company of the Year

SAN BRUNO, Calif., Oct. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cord Blood Registry^® (CBR^®), the world's largest newborn stem cell bank was named 2012 Bioscience Company of the Year by AZBio, a not-for-profit trade association supporting the growth of Arizona's bioscience industry. CBR was selected by an independent panel of judges made up of leaders from Arizona's bioscience community who reviewed nominations from a broad selection of companies from across the state, and claimed the prize at the AZBio Awards at the Phoenix Convention Center on October 23^rd.

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"The Bioscience Company of the Year award honors the for-profit bioscience company whose Arizona-based operations did the most to transform the world during the last 12 months," said Joan Koerber-Walker, president and CEO at AZBio. "CBR is a shining example of the innovative work that is driven from right here in Arizona and benefits families around the world. The CBR team delivers services offering the latest in today's technology while providing a foundation for new innovations and cures that will be even more prevalent in the future."

"We are honored that AZBio recognizes our efforts to advance regenerative medicine and change lives through the power of newborn stem cells. Everyone at CBR has worked hard to make this company the largest and most advanced newborn stem cell bank in the world. With leadership comes the responsibility to advance medicine," said Geoffrey Crouse, president and CEO of Cord Blood Registry. "We partner with leading medical researchers to establish clinical trials using CBR processed stem cells as therapies for conditions that have no known cure."

Since its founding, CBR has led the industry in advanced techniques to collect, process and store newborn stem cells for use in transplant medicine and clinical trials.

"We are honored to receive this award from AZBio," said Kristen Swingle, vice president of lab operations at Cord Blood Registry. "Our relentless focus on quality has been recognized by our peers and that makes this even more special."

Advancing Stem Cell Science
CBR is leading the industry in investigating newborn stem cells for regenerative medicine applications by establishing clinical trials with leading medical institutions and researchers across the country.  By pairing researchers with children who have been diagnosed with chronic conditions like autism, cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury, CBR is providing client families exclusive access to clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of newborn stem cells in various conditions.

"As the leader and innovator in family banking, we believe every newborn deserves a healthy future and that we have a responsibility to lead the way," said Heather Brown, vice president of scientific & medical affairs at CBR. "This award recognizes that CBR is leading the way in regenerative medicine. We are the only family bank pioneering ground breaking clinical trials evaluating new therapeutic uses of newborn stem cells for unexpected injuries and conditions with no current cure."

About AZBio
AZBio, The Arizona Bioindustry Association, is committed to supporting the growth of Arizona's bioindustry and works with companies who are leading innovators in the fields of health, bio-energy and agriculture.  AZBio represents over 200 corporations, institutes, universities, and biosciecne centers across the State of Arizona and works closely with its national partners, BIO, PhRMA, and AdvaMed to create an environment where life science companies can thrive.

About Cord Blood Registry 
 Cord Blood Registry^® (CBR^®) is the world's largest and most experienced newborn stem cell bank, safeguarding the newborn stem cells of more than 400,000 children. The company has consistently led the industry in developing technical innovations and establishing FDA-regulated clinical trials.  CBR was the first family bank accredited by AABB and the company's quality standards have been recognized through ISO 9001:2008 certification—the global business standard for quality. CBR has also released more client cord blood units for specific therapeutic use than any other family cord blood bank.  Our research and development efforts are focused on helping the world's leading clinical researchers advance regenerative medical therapies.  For more information, visit www.cordblood.com.

SOURCE Cord Blood Registry (CBR)