Posted on 05/07/2006 7:04:07 PM PDT by Coleus
BERLIN, GERMANY -- May 5, 2006 -- ViaCell, Inc. today presented data at the 12th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) supporting the importance of family banked umbilical cord blood, a non-controversial source of stem cells with proven clinical utility in treating over 40 diseases. The presented data relate to transplantation outcomes and CD34 cell enumeration. These data further support the medical value of cord blood stem cells. ViaCell offers expecting parents the ability to collect and store umbilical cord blood at the birth of their child with ViaCord(R), its product offering for the preservation of cord blood for related use.
In a poster presentation, ViaCell presented findings that umbilical cord blood units for related use are an acceptable graft source for treatment in a variety of diseases requiring transplantation. Nineteen umbilical cord blood units collected for preservation at ViaCell's processing laboratory have been used for transplantation at eighteen sites. The majority of these transplants were performed as a related, allogeneic source in a variety of diseases.
In patients evaluated, neutrophil recovery (ANC greater than 500 cells/mcL) was achieved in 89% and the median time to neutrophil recovery was 24 days. The overall survival at one year was 75%. Acute graft-versus-host- disease, or GVHD (greater than Grade 1) was observed in 4 of 17 allogeneic recipients and no reported chronic GVHD were related to the umbilical cord blood graft.
ViaCell's transplant outcomes from units processed and stored at its family cord blood bank compared favorably with recent reports of unrelated cord blood transplantation and suggest that family banked cord blood is an important graft source for patients with a variety of diseases requiring transplantation. In contrast, the median overall survival reported in the literature for unrelated transplants was 58%. In addition, 25% of transplant recipients developed chronic GVHD and 41% developed acute GVHD. The median neutrophil engraft rate was 87%. These findings were presented by Kate Falcon, MSN, Clinical Manager of ViaCell.
CD34 Enumeration
ViaCell also presented results on CD34 cell enumeration from various stem cell sources. Transplant physicians often use CD34 cell content to evaluate the potential effectiveness of cord blood stem cells for transplantation. Through recent validation studies, ViaCell determined that a single tube, automated CD34 enumeration assay could enable reproducibly accurate enumeration of these important indicators of cell source suitability for transplant. These results were presented in a poster presentation by Joseph C. Laning, PhD, Director of Cell and Analytical Biology at ViaCell.
"We believe a validated enumeration method will help with consistency in preservation of cord blood units, giving transplant physicians confidence that units released from the ViaCord bank will meet their criteria to transplant a high quality product to their patients," said Dr. Laning.
About ViaCord
ViaCord is a product offering that allows expectant families the opportunity to preserve their baby's umbilical cord blood for potential use by the child or a related family member. Stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood are currently a treatment option for over 40 diseases, including cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, certain bone marrow failure syndromes such as severe aplastic anemia and neuroblastoma, certain blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and other metabolic diseases such as Hurler syndrome.
Studies have shown that umbilical cord stem cell transplants from a related donor have a significantly higher survival rate than transplants from an unrelated donor. ViaCord uses multi-compartment cryobags as part of its closed processing system to ensure that cells are processed in a manner that meets U.S. FDA regulations designed to prevent contamination and error. Cryobags have been used in more than 99% of all cord blood transplants
If you know anyone who is having a child talk them in to having the cord blood taken and stored. If it's ever needed it may save someones life.
>>>ViaCord is a product offering that allows expectant families the opportunity to preserve their baby's umbilical cord blood for potential use by the child or a related family member.<<<
I am the first to push umbilical stem cells as an inexhaustible source of cells which can repair all sorts of deficits. However, this is pushing "allogeneic" cell transfers--within families. In fact, this reads like a PR announcement made by any number of "start up" companies marketing a new product on the NASDAQ PR wire.
The idea here is to have the umbilical cells available so that anyone related to little Joey may benefit from this implant. Instead, the idea of "banking" large quantities of umbilical cells from virtually all pregnancies is to overcome this through shear numbers (as in "tissue typing"). The familial banking of umbilical blood is expensive. The donation to a tissue bank, proposed in a recent Bill in the Congress, was a better idea and would be run by the government or private sector.
F
We had a family friend whos daughter had neuroblastoma. Her parents kept the umbilical cord data and that kept the child alive a little longer.
I don't care how tough anyone thinks they are they will never be as tough as Abi Roland.
Rest in peace angel.....
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