Processing/Preparation

Umbilical cord blood

Qualified personnel in our contracted clinics remove the umbilical cord blood in accordance with standardised regulations. At roughly the same time, a blood sample is taken from the mother, which is used for serological tests for infection. After removal, the umbilical cord blood, the blood sample from the mother and the signed documentation are brought to our processing laboratory by a qualified transport service.

Processing

Processing takes place is extremely modern laboratories under sterile conditions using special bags. In this system, the umbilical cord blood is centrifuged in order to enable stem cell extraction.  The blood components thus undergo phased division into three strata (the red blood corpuscles, the so-called buffy coat and the blood plasma), which are then siphoned off via a line system into various smaller bags. The stem cells are located in the buffy coat layer and are thus collected in a separate bag. Prior to freezing, a cryoprotectant agent (DMSO) is added to the stem cells.

The freezing process

The freezing process is computer-controlled and until required, the stem cell transplant is stored at -180 ± 10°C in a cold gas phase under liquid nitrogen. The entire preparation procedure is subject to the strictest quality controls, which ensure that transplants are always produced and stored according to the latest scientific and technical standards.