Factors to be Considered While Choosing a Stem Cell Bank

Stem cells have become a powerful tool in various therapies that combat against several diseases and ailments, including cancers, metabolic disorders, immune disorders, and blood related diseases. There is still much more potential to be found out about stem cells, which means that it’s more important than ever to try to store your stem cells whenever possible, and the best time to do is while you are young. While you can store your cells at any age, you should strongly consider the services that stem cell banks offer to be able to store your child’s stem cells from their cord blood and cord tissue, should they ever need them in the future for medical treatment. (As you age, you have fewer cells to call upon or use.)

With their significance in treatments, you need to be sure that those stem cells are being treated properly, and that they are stored safely so that they are still viable in the future. This means you need to be considering several factors before choosing the right stem cell banks for your needs.

Experience

Often, the first thing people will look into with any service company they plan to hire is their experience. Working with a new fledgling company can be beneficial for some, but often it leads to uncertainty because you never know when a new company is going to collapse and disappear. Trusting your cells to stem cell banks that have been working in the industry for decades, and that have an established reliability rating, is the key to ensuring that they are going to treat the stem cells properly and minimize the risk of damage being done to them due to poor experience and poor handling. You should also look for a company with a large, established customer base in which they have proven to be reliable. As well, a highly respected and professional management team is key to keeping a company running smoothly, and it only adds to their experience profile.

Facilities

Any stem cell banks you rely on need to have a top-notch, high-tech lab facility in place to be able to process and properly cryofreeze the stem cells you want stored. Improper facilities and equipment can damage stem cells, making them less viable or completely useless when you need them the most. Having a facility in a safe location is also important for being able to protect any stored stem cells; having natural and man-made protections in place can prevent damage from natural disasters or other unforeseen events.

Stability

Having stem cell banks going under can be devastating for those that are using them to store stem cells, especially if another company is unable to transfer the stock to their own facilities and take over the contracts. Make sure the bank you choose has a stable financial footing, and make sure it has been stable for a long time.

Reliability

There are many ways to check up on the reliability of stem cell banks beyond researching their management team. There are a variety of national and international bodies that recognize stem cell banks, so verify whether the bank you choose has been recognized by AABB (American Association of Blood Banks), FACT (Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), & CAP (College of American Pathologists). Beyond recognition, they also need to have the technology to back them and the ability to reliably store stem cells for decades without issue.

Pricing

Finally, price should be a factor for you to consider as well; if you cannot afford the upkeep of storing stem cells, you could lose them before you need them most. The best stem cell banks don’t charge an arm and a leg for storage; they have reasonable rates to ensure as many people as possible can afford to store the life saving cells.

If you are looking to store stem cells from cord blood and cord tissue, PacifiCord today.

Reviewed by Paul V. Holland, MD