Table of Contents
What is cord blood?
Cord blood, also known as umbilical cord blood, is the blood that remains in the placenta attached to the umbilical cord even after the birth of the child. Cord blood is considered essential and is hence collected as it contains stem cells which can be effectively used to treat genetic or hematopoietic disorders. There are special cord blood banks set up for the storage of cord blood. There are pros and cons of cord blood banking.
Medically speaking, Cord blood cells can be used to reconstitute bone marrow which is followed by a radiation treatment. It can be used to cure various blood cancer and different forms of anemia. There are now special cord blood banks setup all over the world. You can check the list of Cord Blood Banks available in USA.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are a group of undifferentiated cells which can be differentiated into special cell types. Hence, can divide to produce more of the same type of stem cells. In mammals, stem cells come from two main sources:
- Embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development (embryonic stem cells) and
- Adult tissue (adult stem cells).
Both types are generally characterized by their potential to differentiate into different cell types (such as skin, muscle, bone, etc.).
Why is Cord blood collected?
Cord blood is the blood in the newborn baby’s umbilical cord which has the potential lifesaving cells referred to as stem cells. When compared to other stem cell sources, cord blood is usually treated as the safest option. As of now, over 80 diseases are curable using stem cells from cord blood, with more treatments coming up every year. The FDA has approved cord blood therapies to treat dozens of diseases like leukemia, anemia, and other critical, deadly diseases. Hence, there are many cord blood banks set up all across the world.
Like a blood bank, a cord blood bank stores the umbilical cord for as long as it is needed. There are various ways to compare cord blood banks. Many private as well as public cord blood banks are now in function, since they have a potency to treat many blood and immune system disorders. One needs to follow the cord blood registry procedure for the same. This facility works in two ways:
- A parent can either donate the child’s cord blood to a public cord blood bank and it can be used to help anyone in need.
- The parent can pay a private facility to store their baby’s cord blood and can be put to family’s use later.
List of top cord blood banks in India.
1. Cordlife
Certified and Accredited by leading Government Bodies such as USFDA, AABB, CAP, WHO, DCGI, ISO and plenty more, Cordlife is Asia’s Largest Network of Private Cord Blood Bank. Listed on the Mainboard of Singapore Stock Exchange & present in 8 countries. Cordlife operates in more than 210 cities across India, making it one of the largest stem cell banking companies locally.
In 2013, Cordlife India successfully attained accreditation from AABB, world’s gold standard in private cord blood banking.
We guarantee that your baby’s cord blood unit will be screened, processed and stored according to the strictest international quality assurance program which are preferred by Transplant surgeons.
They commit to secure your family’s future through stem cell banking at ₹1300/month. It is one of the most recommended cord blood banks in India.
Website- www.cordlifeindia.com
2. Cryoviva Biotech private Ltd
Cryoviva Biotech Private Limited is founded in 2006 by RJCorp. It is a company intending on providing high-quality umbilical cord blood stem cell processing and storage for both public and private purposes. It is based in Gurugram and has its technology approved by International authorities. Cryoviva India has spread beyond the shores to Thailand, Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Bangladesh and East Africa making it the only India Cord Blood bank available in International Market.
Its services provided are:
- Cell processing & Cryo-preservation
- Cord cell lines
- Cell culture and Expansion
- Cell Differentiation
- Bone Marrow Processing
- Customized Therapy Solutions
- Varied Stem cell & Regenerative medicine related clinical applications.
Therefore, there are a number of services provided by this cord blood bank.
Website- www.cryoviva.in
3. Reliance life science
RLS began cord blood banking in 2002 and was the first cord blood repository to be set up in India and South Asia. RLS offers a combined storage service to parents-to-be that comprises cord blood banking along with umbilical cord and cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells banking.
There are three programs operating under this service:
- ReliCord® – Superior (cord blood + cord tissue banking)
- ReliCord® – Superior/ ST (cord blood + cord tissue banking)
- Relicord® – M50 (cord blood + 50 million cord tissue stem cells + cord tissue banking)
Reliance Life Sciences has bagged the ‘Best Investment for the Future’ Gold star award, instituted by Mother and Baby magazine, India in 2009 for ReliCord, the cord blood banking service.
Although, RLS has a strict cancellation policy, where in, Cancellation is not allowed by the user. Amount once paid is not refundable.
Website- www.relicord.com
4. Life cell international private Ltd
Established in 2004, LifeCell is India’s first and largest stem cell bank, enjoying the trust of over 3,00,000 parents who have banked their children’s stem cells with the company. LifeCell was founded in technological collaboration with Cryo-Cell International – the world’s first private stem cell bank with over 25 years of operational excellence.
The umbilical cord banking cost comprises of testing, processing and storage cost. LifeCell offers multiple pricing options such as annual storage plan Rs. 19,990, one-time storage plan Rs. 49,990, Lifetime storage plan Rs. 64,990 and EMI Plan starting from Rs. 950 to make your journey of storing your baby’s umbilical cord stem cells easy and affordable.
Website- www.lifecell.in
5. Stemcyte India Therapeutics Pvt Ltd
StemCyte India is a joint venture between StemCyte Inc. (USA), Apollo Hospital Enterprises Ltd. and Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. StemCyte India’s headquarter and processing facility is strategically located in Gujarat state (The hub of Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anemia).
As a group, StemCyte treasures public inventory of more than 35,000 racially diverse transplantable cord blood units. It has facilitated 2,084 cord blood transplants at 315 transplant centers across all continents.
Website- www.stemcyteindia.com
6. Babycell
Babycell started in 2009 by Mr. Yash Sanghvi, at a time when the concept of stem cell was still unknown to many. Babycell soon rose to be one of the top companies in this field. Its services include:
- Placental Stem Cells
- Cord Blood Banking
- Bicord Super Power
- HLA Testing
- Hemoglobinopathy Test
- Biocord Super power
Website- www.babycell.in
7. Cryosave
Established in 2000, CryoSave has cryo-preserved samples from over 70 countries on six continents, with ultra-modern processing and storage facilities in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Dubai, India and South Africa.
Cryosave offers two types of services
-
CryoCord+ Service
CryoSave processes the cord blood using in a fully automated closed system that is US FDA approved and CE marked, this system runs on a proprietary protocol, only available to CryoSave clients. The price for saving the cord for 21 years is ₹75,000, with ₹ 5000 paid as initial service fee and the rest ₹70,000 paid as the balance service fee.
- CryoCord + Advantage
Under CryoCord + Advantage, the various advantages offered are Quality Service Guarantee,Medical Support, Free World Wide Shipment, Disaster Relief, Transit Insurance, collection assistance, Pre-Transplant Tests, Complete Cord Preservation,Automated Processing Kit,Safe Shipping, Complete Refund and more.
Website: www.cryosave.in
8. Indu Stem Cell Bank
Indu Stem Cell Bank is a venture of ” Best Well Care Management Services Pvt. Ltd.” It brings world class experience in the field of Stem Cell Banking. They ensure a simple, systematic and hassle free stem cell collection and storage process.
Banking with Indu Stem Cell Bank will provide various advantages:
- Strong Credentials
- Transparent Procedure
- Large Storage
- Superior Infrastructure
- Quality Assurance
- 24 X 7 Availability
- Insurance
- Easy on Pocket
They have most attractive rates among other cord blood banks providing same facility along with flexible payment options.
Website: www.industemcellbank.com
9. CelluGen – My cord
CelluGen, a Private Limited Stem Cell Research company situated in Gurgaon, India was established in 2008
CelluGen is a DCGI licensed Cord Blood Bank compliant with cGMP, cGTP and, cGLP. Stringent guidelines of ISO-9001, US-FDA, AABB, and FACT-NETCORD are also followed.
The Price for My Cord Precious Pool plan is ₹69,900, with the registration cost being ₹10,000.
Website: ww.mycord.com
Public Cord Blood Banking in India
1. Jeevan
It was on the 1st of January 1995 a momentous decision was taken to redefine the definition of safe blood in Chennai and India.On that day, its management decided to setup Jeevan Blood Bank and Research Centre as a not for profit blood centre in Chennai, India.
Under the terms of the state tie-up, Jeevan is required to release 75% of the units free of cost to patients referred by government hospitals. All patients covered under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme can receive these units. Jeevan can release the remaining 25% of the units on a commercial basis in the following tiers: Patients who are residents of Tamil Nadu and have an annual income between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh ($8,300-$16,600) will be charged Rs. 50,000 ($830) for a transplant unit. Those with income over Rs. 10 lakh or non-residents of Tamil Nadu can access the units at Rs. 2 lakh ($3,300). This financing split should ensure that the project remains financially viable even after the state funding is depleted.
Jeevan received another loan of $2.56 million from a World Bank aided fund to scale up the inventory by another 5,000 units over the course of 2015.
Website- www.jeevan.org
2. School of Tropical Medicine
The School of Tropical Medicine (STM) in Kolkata has launched the first public cord blood bank in India that is funded by the government. The cord blood bank is operated by the school’s Department of Regenerative Medicine and Translational Science. The bank was announced in early 2014 and launched at the end of 2015.
Website- http://www.stmkolkata.org/rmts/cordbloodbbank.html
