Cord Tissue Banking vs Cord Blood Banking

As Stem Cells from the Umbilical Cord and Placenta Tissue Become More Important, Americord Attracts A New Set of Savvy Customers

News provided by

Americord Registry

Feb 12, 2014, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As the scientific community moves forward with ever more therapeutic uses for hematopoietic stem cells and pursues revolutionary medical possibilities for mesenchymal stem cells, expectant parents are increasingly understanding the value of preserving stem cells from not only the cord blood, but also the cord tissue and placenta tissue of their newborn baby. And they're focusing on how much they're getting for the price they pay to the cord blood banking companies that offer these services.

While banking stem cells from the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants has become a routine decision for many expectant parents, banking stem cells from cord tissue and placenta tissue is less familiar. This may be because the scientific details can be overwhelming. In simplest terms, the cord blood found in the umbilical cord is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which have been successfully used to treat more than 80 diseases and conditions, including certain cancers and inherited disorders. In contrast, the tissue of the umbilical cord and the tissue of the placenta are rich sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are currently the subject of almost 50 clinical trials and hold the promise of being able to someday treat debilitating conditions such as heart disease, type 1 diabetes, lung cancer, Parkinson's Disease, and injuries to bones and cartilage.

MSCs have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of diseases and conditions long considered to be incurable, and Americord is at the leading edge of offering expectant parents the opportunity to preserve them. For example, Americord is the only company offering the ability to preserve MSCs from placenta tissue. At the end of 2013 the company announced that it had validated a new process for collecting MSCs from placenta tissue, making it the first to successfully isolate these particularly valuable stem cells within placenta tissue.

Already recognized as an affordable option for expectant parents whose budgets do not stretch to the prices charged by top competitors just for basic cord blood banking, Americord is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative for expectant parents with more generous budgets who want to preserve stem cells from all three available sources.

To understand why, just look at competitors' prices in comparison to the value delivered. ViaCord charges over $8,000 and CBR charges over $7,000 for stem cell collection from cord blood and cord tissue plus 20 years of storage (as noted, neither offers collection from placenta tissue). In comparison, Americord charges less than $4,000 for collection from cord blood and cord tissue plus 20 years of storage. Even more compelling is the fact that at $6,000, Americord's cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta tissue product (three sources) is less than either competitor's two-source offering.

"We believe strongly in the value of preserving as many stem cells as possible from every available source when a baby is born," said Americord CEO Martin Smithmyer. "Our commitment to delivering the highest quality services at the lowest possible price is making it possible for more expectant parents to preserve more of their baby's stem cells than they can with any other cord blood bank."

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 cord blood blog or website at cordadvantage.com for more information. You may also find Americord on Facebook and follow the company on Twitter.