The world of stem cells is very complex, and choosing a bank is a difficult, but crucial decision. Here are the first three things to be sure of: 

Level of expertise is critical when you need it most

Stem cell storage and transplants should only be conducted by experts. Established in 2000, Cryo-Save brings together over 12 years of expertise and over 15 medical doctors. Our long established professionalism and expertise is recognized by the medical community and we Cryo-preserve samples from over 40 countries on 6 continents.

A Proven Track Record

The proof is in the pudding. We have released numerous samples for both treatments and clinical trials. Our success proves that our methods of processing and storage are affective and accepted world-wide.

Financial Sustainability

Ensure your investments are safe for years to come. Cryo-Save South Africa is owned by 2 publicly listed companies – providing unmatched financial security for your investment.

Trust us- 225 000 families already have. 

Press Release: Life Sciences & Biotechnology

8 April, 2013 – Zurich, Switzerland

Perinatal brain injury in premature babies often leads to severe disability. No established therapy is available today. Dr. Surbek and his team from the University of Bern (Switzerland), supported by Cryo-Save, studied the therapeutic potential of stem cell transplantation. Human stem cells from the umbilical cord were successfully transplanted into an animal model. These results underline the potential use of umbilical cord stem cells for the treatment of brain injuries in the future.

Umbilical cord stem cells: current and future treatments

Today, umbilical stem cell transplants can already treat a wide variety of blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers and immune disorders. Additionally preclinical and clinical trials, testing the use of these stem cells for new therapeutic applications, are under way.  In one of these studies, the ability of stem cells to differentiate into brain tissue is analyzed. This treatment offers the significant potential to generate new tissue that can replace damaged brain areas.

Stem cells successfully transplanted in the brain

In the current study of Dr. Surbek and his research team, a rat model with perinatal brain damage was successfully transplanted with human umbilical cord-derived stem cells. The stem cells survived, homed and migrated into the affected area of the rat brain. The analysis of the proliferation and differentiation of the donor stem cells is ongoing and functional tests will assess the therapeutic effects of the stem cells transplantation.

Collaboration with private stem cell bank Cryo-Save

Cryo-Save supports the development of life saving treatments using umbilical cord stem cells. Cryo-Save is the leading international family stem cell bank cryo-preserving umbilical cord blood stem cells, collected at birth. The study of Dr. Surbek was financially supported by Cryo-Save AG.

More information:

For more information about the press release, contact Ann Van Gysel, Communications Manager Cryo-Save – ann.vangysel@cryo-save.com (+41 55 222 02 56). 

About Cryo-Save

Cryo-Save, the leading international family stem cell bank, stores more than 225,000 samples from umbilical cord blood and cord tissue. There are already many diseases treatable by the use of stem cells, and the number of treatments will only increase. Cryo-Save has cryo-preserved samples from over 70 countries on six continents, with ultra-modern processing and storage facilities in Belgium, Germany, Dubai, India and South Africa. www.cryo-save.com/group

Article courtesy of : IOL News

Durban – A Wentworth girl has until Thursday for her family to raise R500 000 for a life-saving bone marrow stem cell transplant.

Doctors have found a match in the US for nine-year-old Rose-Leigh Usher, who has a rare, aggressive cancer, hepatosplenic gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma. She was diagnosed last June and has been at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital since.

The tissue has been reserved for her until Thursday, and the family in Wentworth have so far raised about R200 000 as the community has rallied behind her. The fund needs another R300 000 in two days.

Not only is the cancer rare, it is also described as being a generally incurable form of lymphoma.

Dr Yasmin Goga, the hospital’s paediatric haematology consultant, said Rose-Leigh had completed six of seven planned cycles of intensive chemotherapy. Goga said the two longest survivors were those who had received bone marrow transplants.

“In patients who have had chemotherapy alone, the longest survival was 16 months, with most patients dying from the disease within six months to a year,” she explained.

There are no South African donors with a match on the South African Bone Marrow Registry, but Goga said there was an umbilical cord stem cell unit with a good match in the US. It had been reserved until February 28.

If Rose-Leigh’s family could not raise the funds in time, she would lose her chance of having the transplant because there would be no other match available, Goga said.

“She is very fortunate to have an umbilical cord stem cell unit that is closely matched. However this is in a cord stem cell bank in the US, and we require R500 000 to purchase the unit,” she said.

“The State will not cover the cost of purchasing the international cord stem cell unit.”

Rosemary Usher, a nursing sister at Wentworth Hospital, said her daughter had been healthy before she felt abdominal pains in June last year. Hospital visits followed to Wentworth, King Edward VIII and Albert Luthuli hospitals.

Rose-Leigh, who was in grade 3 last year, has not been to school since June and desperately requires the funds so the Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town can perform the transplant.

“The hospital wants the money upfront. We don’t have a lot of time to raise the money, but we have faith that the money will be raised,” Usher said.

“We would like to ask anybody and everybody who is kind-hearted to make a pledge of, at least, R100 for Rose-Leigh’s trust fund for the transplant to happen. Please ask friends, colleagues and people in your community to help,” she said.

“We need you.”

Rose-Leigh has four siblings, a 24-year-old brother, 18-year-old twin sisters, and a three-year-old brother, but none of them was a match.

“She was so healthy before she was hospitalised,” said Rosemary. “She had been dancing at the dance academy at the community hall, and when she first told me of the pains in her body, I thought it was just her being tired, but when they continued, we went to hospital… I have never seen any of my children in such pain before.”

In recent weeks members of the public, businesses and schools have worked together in fund-raising for Rose-Leigh since a donor match was found. Last Friday, a band of popular Durban comedians staged a show titled “Have a laugh – Save a life” at the Bat Centre.

South Durban Club Hip-hop Palace hosted an event on Saturday.

Wentworth High School, Grosvenor Girls’ High School, Austerville Primary School and other schools held fund-raising drives, including “civvies” days, cake sales, cancer awareness campaigns and raffles.

Office staff from businesses in Durban have also raised funds through internal raffles. A number of business people have made anonymous donations to the trust account.

South Africans abroad have also donated. Donations can be made to: Rose-Leigh Emily Usher Trust, Standard Bank current account number 051707772. The branch code is 043326.

mpume.madlala@inl.co.za

Private Stem Cell Banking and Recent Medical Studies Show Potential for Treatments

The benefits of pro-actively using private stem cell banking have become more prevalent with new breakthroughs in usage of umbilical cord blood, placenta tissue and adipose stem cells for treatments of a wide variety of life-threatening diseases.

Cryo-Save as the leading private stem cell banking group in Europe has already collaborated with numerous universities, medical institutions, scientists and researchers in finding new and improved methods for usage of stem cells in treatments. The Cryo-Save Group is presented in more than 39 countries and now also in South Africa.

With private stem cell banking parents can store the umbilical blood cord and tissue cells of their newborn babies for future medical applications. With the risk of rejection and treatment failure significantly reduced when using one’s own cells or the cells from a sibling, the parents thus ensure that the material will be able should the need arise to use such.

Urine Cell Breakthrough

A recent study by biologists in China showed that common cells present in human urine can be transformed into neural stem cells which can grow to form new neurons. It is considered a tremendous breakthrough for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The team from the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health announced that they succeeded in programming skin like cells from kidneys into iPS cells. The iPS cells could be transformed into just about any human cell. 

Stem Cells used in Eyesight Restoration

Another resent breakthrough in stem cell technology has been developed by a group of scientists and engineers from the University of Sheffield in England. They developed a new method for creating membranes to be used in the grafting of stem cells into the eye for treatment of cornea injuries.

The study was published in the Acta Biomaterialia journal and is considered a breakthrough in treatments to prevent blindness. They have used a technique called micro-stereo lithography in combination with electro-spinning to make a biodegradable material disc to be placed over the cornea. The stem cells are then added to the disc and will begin to increase to fix the eye in a natural way.

According to the team the lab tests have indicated that the membranes support the cell growth. They want to set up trials in India together with the LV Prasad Eye Institute as part of the next phase in development. With the discs being biodegradable the risks of harm to the body are eliminated.

Cryo-Save Collaborates with University in Bone Engineering Study

Cryo-Save recently collaborated with a group of scientists from the Ghent University to overcome problems normally experienced in bone tissue engineering for large size bone grafting projects. Cryo-Save provided the stem cells for the research which had promising results showing improved uniform cell distribution and cell density increase in the large size bone grafts.

The study was conducted under leadership of Prof. M. Cornelissen and spearheaded by Dr. Heidi Declerq with the focus on development of artificial bone tissue through stem cell implants.

The high-level tissue based study conducted under group leader Prof. M Cornelissen and headed by Dr. Heidi Declerq from the Ghent University in Belgium focused on new methods for the development of artificial bone tissue by means of stem cells.

With breakthroughs now occurring on an almost daily basis, Cryo-Save has also increased the awareness drive to educate parents about the importance of private stem cell banking. With public donors, the patient has to wait for a relevant donor and the risk of rejection by the body is significant. With the usage of one’s own stored cells the risk is almost completely eliminated. Parents thus invest in the future health and medical treatments for their children by storing their umbilical cord blood cells through Cryo-Save.

Cryo-Save holds professional conferences as part of cord blood awareness months and in support of the promotion of cord blood storage and therapies using stem cells.  The group has announced its full support for the advancement of storage and applications and has shown their active support through the sponsoring of several major conferences that have been held during September and October 2012. The conferences were held in Cyprus, Serbia, Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Dr. Cherie Daly, the Cryo-Save Group Medical Affairs Manager commented that Cryo-Save’s involvement in informing the medical community about regenerative medicine advances also implies that patients suffering from conditions that can be treated will also become informed. According to her the series of programs as part of Cord Blood Awareness Months make an even larger contribution to the positive meaningfulness of research and uses regarding stem cell application. The company has provided several customer focussed promotions to ensure optimal awareness.

The medical communities received the opportunity to ask scientists questions regarding latest advances and applications as well as had the opportunity to talk about regulations pertaining applications at the conference held at Cyprus. Dr. Cherie Daly, also a member of the International Tissue Engineering Research Association and Dr. Sally Sennitt, the Lab Director for the Cryo-Save Group did presentations on topics related to stem cell applications.

The third International Conference on Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cells, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnologies were held in September in Bosnia-Herzegovina where a presentation was done on the importance of family stem cell banking by Arnoud van Tulder, CEO of Cryo-Save. Various medical professionals presented discussions regarding therapies and pharmacogenomics.

The fifth International Symposium on Regenerative & Personalised Medicine was held at the start of October in Belgrade under leadership of the Cryo-Save Serbia Group. Well-known experts in the field such as Prof. Dr. Daniel Surbek from the University of Bern in Switzerland as well as Maja Stojiljkovic Petrovic (PhD of IMGGE) from the University of Belgrade presented their research on the application in tissue engineering.

The “From Birth to Three Years of Age” International Professional Conference is the last in the series and sponsored by the Cryo-Save subsidiary in Hungary, Sejtbank. The focus is on early intervention for children and the exploration of research results and presentation of national and regional practices. Presentation is done by Dr. Cherie Daly on the topic of “The Role of Umbilical Cord Blood in Neonatal and Paediatric Care”.

As one of the newest advances in medical research and treatments, stem cells from umbilical cord blood and placenta are becoming extremely important for future treatments of a wide range of diseases including several childhood cancers and leukaemia.

Evidence of the treatment successes include reports of improvements in patients suffering from conditions such as sickle cell anaemia. The reports indicate that the patients have been cured after stem cell treatments.

Trials are held worldwide to test the safety of procedures and the success of treatments. Indeed over more than 4000 clinical trials are held using specifically stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. The trials focus on treatments of diseases ranging from strokes to autism, cerebral palsy, leukaemia and diabetes, to name, but a few.

The Cryo-Save Group is the leader in stem cell banking and with more than 225 000 samples stored has grown to be one of the most reputable companies in the field of stem cell storage. With representation in 40+ countries worldwide, the company has developed storage facilities in several countries. Cryo-Save has shown support for ethical retrieval practices and continues to provide state of the art labs and facilities for stem cell storage.

“Contact Cryo-Save Today for More Information on Cord Blood Storage“

Improvements after the first stem cell trial for stroke patients show potential of usage of stem cells for treatment of serious brain disorders, traumatic brain injury and strokes. According to the Stroke Association of the UK more than 66 000 people die annually in the UK as the result of strokes. According to the South African Medical Council, stroke is the second most common cause of death world-wide and the third most common cause of death in South Africa.

With the so many deaths attributed to strokes, stem cell applications to help stroke patients recover partially or even fully can be seen as a huge breakthrough in medical science, and one long waited for.

Trials for Stem Cell Application

The first trial was that on an elderly stroke patient as part of a regulated trial at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. The patient received low doses at first and was discharged. The safety of the procedure was assessed and more test patients were assessed with progressively higher doses to assess the safety of the procedure.

Professor Keith Muir of Glasgow University headed the trials. Although the initial trial used stem cells from a foetus, later trials no longer made use of such. Professor Muir described the results as promising and expressed the hope that future trials would lead to more in-depth studies to assess the effectiveness of stem cells on the treatment of the disabilities caused by strokes.

The clinical trial regarding brain stem cell applications for stroke treatment moved into its second phase without indication of any adverse effects. Professor Muir noted that he was very pleased with the results so far.

It is the first time that such therapy is used in humans and with successes so far, it is now possible to continue with larger dosages. Two more patients were tested after the first initial trial on the elderly man. They too received low doses of the stem cells, mainly to assess safety of the procedure.

Improvements Show Promise

Six patients in the west of Scotland formed part of a trial wherein human stem cells were inserted very close to the damaged parts of their brains. The improvements in limb strength could be noted. The team of doctors, did however, caution against being too optimistic because of the early stages of the trial. With stroke being the main cause of disability world-wide, patients around the world wait anxiously on results as such therapies may in future help them return to normal functioning or regain partial control over their weakened limbs.

The trial under leadership of Professor Muir at the Institute of Neurological Sciences showed no evidence of harmful effects. The people participating in the trial all had strokes several years before and have significant disabilities because of the strokes. The Professor said that they thus don’t expect the patients to show change over time. Indeed, the patients have shown slight improvements since the beginning of the trials.

Further trials must still be done to assess whether the stem cells can indeed repair or partially repair damaged tissue in the brain. More patients will receive progressively higher doses. With a number of clinical trials now starting around the globe, the potential for future applications becomes apparent.

It is recommended that parents store umbilical cord blood cells from their new born babies at storage banks such as Cryo-Save for future usage should their children or they develop any life threatening diseases or become the victims of strokes. Although the stem cells cannot yet be used for such treatments, there is a definite potential.

A New Therapeutic Option for Brain Disorders Using Stem Cells Derived from Cord Blood

“Contact Cryo-Save Today for More Information on Cord Blood Storage“

A recent breakthrough has been made in the research on the usage of stem cells derived from cord blood as a therapeutic option for brain disorders. Stem cell applications have shown tremendous medical potential. Although the expectation of fast breakthroughs and widespread applications has not been met because of government restrictions and issues regarding ethical usage, which have hindered research, the future looks promising.

Another aspect to keep in mind in using stem cells from cord blood for brain disorder treatments is that up to now, the ability to control the behaviour of the cells has been limited. Stem cells have the ability to become various types of cells, but controlling which cells has proven to be difficult.

Cord blood stem cells are more widely used than other types of stem cells. The reason is mainly because the cells are harvested from the cord blood and tissue of the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of the child. As such the ethical issues surrounding usage of stem cells do not apply to that of cord blood.

The retrieval of the cells is done only once the baby is born and mother and child have been medically cared for. The doctor retrieves and stores the cells according to instructions and the samples are transported to the labs as soon as possible. Once processed, the samples are stored through a special procedure to ensure optimal protection and longevity.

The stem cells are not harvested from embryo and the retrieval process holds no risk for the mother or child. Parents store the stem cells of their newborn babies for potential future use should the child develop a life threatening or chronic disease requiring the usage of the cells for treatment. The cells can furthermore be used by the parents or siblings.  Umbilical cord blood stem cells have been used to treat almost one hundred blood related conditions including the likes of various leukaemia related diseases.

Challenges

One of the major obstacles has been to get the cord blood stem cells to become other types of cells, thus not blood cells. The reason for the difficulty is that the ability to differentiate into other kinds of cells or tissue differs among the cells. The cord stem cells for instance, can easily generate other types of blood cells, but getting them to become neurons has been proven to be difficult.

Breakthrough

The team of researchers from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies and a group of scientists from Spain made the first breakthrough in getting the stem cells to become neurons. This is seen as revolutionary as it means that stem cells may in future also be used for the treatment of several types of neuron related disorders.

Dividing of Cells

The normal procedure of cell diving entails that when a cell divides into more cells that one cell will keep its stem cell identity. The cell it divided into gets a new one; and the secret to controlling the dividing of cells into a neuron lies in the controlling of the master generator. The team first tried to manipulate the cells to produce and increase the gene Sox2 where after they cultured them to analyse the underlying genetic behaviour.

They discovered that the generated cells showed signs of immature neuron behaviour. The master regulating cell was that of Sox2. They had to control the process to ensure that a neuron could develop and they succeeded in the process to develop mature neurons that showed reaction to electrical stimulation in vitro and could extend to become nerve-like.

The team had to assess whether the cells could repopulate a damaged brain and transplanted such into immune-compromised subjects (mice). The results were astounding as the new cells developed and integrated with the rest of the brain cells. Although the activity was still limited, it marked a tremendous breakthrough in the usage of cord blood stem cells as a new therapeutic option for treatment of brain disorders.

Reference: 

Alessandra Giorgettia, Maria C. N. Marchettob, Mo Lic, Diana Yub, Raffaella Fazzinaa, Yangling Mub, Antonio Adamoa, Ida Paramonova, Julio Castaño Cardosoa, Montserrat Barragan Monasterioa, Cedric Bardyb, Riccardo Cassiani-Ingonia, Guang-Hui Liuc, Fred H. Gageb, & Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmontea (0). Cord Blood-Derived Neuronal Cells by Ectopic Expression of Sox2 and C-Myc

.PNAS DOI. Web October 2012. 10.1073/pnas.1209523109