Cells For Life
Cells for Life is one of the largest and oldest cord blood banks in Canada. Since 1997, over 12,000 cord blood samples have been processed and stored in the on-site laboratory. Founded by Markham Fertility Centre medical director Dr. Michael Virro, Cells for Life offers a complete cord blood program, from education to collection to storage.
In the fall of 2005, a 5 year old boy with leukemia received a 5 minute transfusion of his sister’s umbilical cord blood stem cells that had been stored at Cells for Life. The physicians at The Hospital for Sick Children were pleased that the family had had the forethought to store these cells at a time prior to the onset of this boy’s illness. All is well now – the little boy is cured.
Umbilical cord blood stem cells have been used successfully to treat over 70 different illnesses and cancers. Stem cell research is expanding dramatically and is one of the most exciting fields of medicine in the 21st century.
Research has shown that these cells can potentially be used to treat spinal cord injuries and heart disease (regeneration of myocardial muscle cells). Recently, umbilical cord blood stem cells have been found to possess some of the qualities of embryonic stem cells that have the potential to grow into all the tissues of the body. When fully understood stem cells may form the basis of nerve and muscle regeneration therapies, and the treatment of medical conditions such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Although these potential treatment options are presently still in the research stage, Cells for Life believes that the application of these technologies will become routine practice in the future. A double-blind clinical trial is currently being developed to assess the effectiveness of these stem cells with Multiple Sclerosis through an affiliation between Cells for Life, NHOR, and Laurentian University.
Blood remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth is rich with the baby’s stem cells, which are the building blocks of bone marrow and form the cells of the blood and immune system. Once collected, the stem cells from the placenta and umbilical cord are isolated, and then mixed with a protective chemical that allows the cells to be safely frozen in liquid nitrogen for storage. These carefully frozen cells have been successfully transplanted into patients after 15 years of storage, and it’s anticipated they could survive for 50 or 60 years if stored correctly.
One of the remarkable aspects of cord blood stem cells is that, unlike bone marrow stem cells, a perfect match is not required for transplantation. A fifty percent match is adequate for cord blood transplantation, making its potential as a life-saving therapy enormous. This is particularly useful for children of mixed ethnic parentage, where finding a perfect bone marrow match is difficult.
How is the cord blood stored?
Cells are stored in dual compartment bags and kept frozen in liquid nitrogen tanks at -196°C. Each tank has an alarm system in place to ensure that the proper volume and temperature is maintained at all times. Samples are carefully stored in liquid phase nitrogen storage to ensure uniform storage temperatures. Internal and external monitoring systems are in place for 24 hour protection.
Cells for Life complies with the Health Canada regulations under development. In the absence of a formal Canadian accreditation program, Cells for Life elected to earn AABB accreditation. This process included a complete audit of all laboratory, administrative, human resource and quality procedures and practices. Cells for Life is one of only a few Canadian cord blood facilities to be accredited under the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) rigorous standards. Cells for Life has recently joined forces with Core Cryolabs to offer expanded services and has expanded its operations to a second location at the Toronto General Hospital.
The Victoria Registry of Hope
At present, it is estimated that 1% of parents in North America store their child’s cord blood at birth. At present, new parents have three choices – to store cord blood stem cells, to donate the cord blood to a public bank or to discard the umbilical cord blood.
Driven by the necessity to get Canada moving forward on this issue, members of the Cells for Life team decided to establish a publicly accessible cord blood program based on donated cord blood. Cells For Life owner Dr. Virro has named their public division The Victoria Angel Registry of Hope. Centre staff have volunteered their time and Cells for Life has used some of its profits to pay for the processing and storage of donated umbilical cord blood. Their hope is that families who choose not to privately store cord blood will donate it, at no cost, to the Victoria Angel Registry, where another family in need might benefit from it.
For More Information:
www.cellsforlife.com
Cells For Life, Markham Stouffville Health Centre
905.472.0060 or Toll Free: 1.877.235.1997
Cantonese/Mandarin: 1.888.268.1888
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
