Stem cells, regardless of whether they are harvested from the blood of the umbilical cord or from the bone marrow, have to be removed by specifically trained personnel only. Bone marrow biopsies are performed by physicians, while umbilical cord blood may be collected by the midwife or specially trained nurses.

Cells4health customers receive a sterile removal set for the collection of umbilical cord blood. They bring it to the clinic when the mother comes in to deliver the baby. The set includes not only material to remove the blood from the umbilical cord, but also a blood specimen of the mother, instructions for the physician and midwife and a special cooling box, in which the specimens can later be safely transported to the laboratory. Keeping the blood in the box ensures that it is stored at a consistently low temperature until it arrives at the laboratory. Cells4health also guarantees that the specimens are only transported by a specifically trained courier service.

In Germany, the removal of bone marrow from the hip bone is performed by a physician on an out-patient basis at the XCell-Center, Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Eduardus Hospital in Cologne. In other countries, the procedure may be performed by qualified physicians. The procedure takes a total of about 30 minutes. It begins with the local anesthesia of the area from which the sample is to be taken. Subsequently, about 150-200 ml bone marrow are removed with a fine needle. The injection of the anesthetic may be slightly painful, while most patients barely feel the performance of the bone marrow biopsy. Shortly after the procedure is complete, the patient is released to return home. The bone marrow specimens is subsequently cooled and processed in-house.

The Safekeeping of Stem Cells

Upon completion of all tests, the stem cells are stored in tanks containing liquid nitrate (at a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius). Until all test results become available, the cells are initially stored in a quarantine tank. If the stem cells are vital and healthy, they are subsequently transferred to the main tank. Customers are notified as soon as the stem cells are safely stored: they receive a certificate stipulating the specimens number, the test results (number of CD34-positive stem cells and their potential of survival). An ID card is also included. All of this information provides the key to the stored cells.

Safety
More than 3,000 specimens can be stored in a single nitrate tank. They are monitored constantly, i.e. 24 hours a day and 365 days a year by a computer-controlled system. In the event of a power failure, several emergency generators continue to provide power immediately.

The temporary storage in a quarantine tank prevents the contamination of the remaining specimens by bacteria or viruses that could be contained in a new sample. Specimens are transferred to the main tank only once all test results have proven to be negative.