- Maternal blood testing. As your baby’s cord blood sample is being tested, processed, and stored, we test maternal blood (mother’s blood) samples as well. We do this to check for any diseases or abnormalities that may affect your baby’s cord blood sample. This extra step is just another way we verify the health and status of the cord blood.
- Separate red blood cells and plasma. Yep, that’s part of it. Red blood cells and plasma actually do not carry the stem cells you’re saving from your baby’s cord blood. The stem cells have their own little party separate from other blood components. If frozen, the red blood cells would burst and destroy the cord blood stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells), so we get rid of them. By separating the red blood cells and plasma out of the sample, we’re able to ensure that the cord blood stem cells remain in a dormant state while stored in our cryogenic tanks.
- We do some serious testing on your baby’s cord blood to make sure it is viable and able to be used if the time ever comes. We conduct a variety of tests on the cord blood, including, but not limited to: Stem Cell Viability, TNC (total nucleated cells) Count, Sample Volume, CD34+, Recovery, and more.
- Once the cord blood sample has been processed and is ready for storage, the cells are preserved in a metal cassette and labeled with multiple identifying markers. Once your sample is placed in the tank, we provide 24/7/365 coverage to monitor the status of our tanks, and ultimately, your baby’s sample.