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MANILA, Philippines ? It is an investment similar to bonds, stocks, and savings. But unlike them, this investment can save the life of your child or other members of your family against diseases that are life-threatening.
This is what CordLife Medical Philippines Inc. is hoping to provide by establishing the first cord blood bank facility in the Philippines.
?Our investment here is the accumulation of our global technical experience and scientific understanding which we want to bring the people of the Philippines,? said CordLife chief executive officer Steven Fang in his speech last February 23 at the inauguration of the facility at the University of the Philippines ?Ayala Land Technohub in Quezon City.
The CordLife cord blood bank facility has state-of-the-art technology of Sepax? which utilizes fully-automated sterile and precise cell processing system which has a recovery rate of up to 96 percent, said Fang.
Doctor Cherie Daly, head of the Group Medical Affairs of CordLife Ltd. based in Singapore, said the center here would provide services like cord blood cell extraction and cryogenic preservation.
Daly said the process involved getting stem cells mainly from the umbilical cord of a new born baby.
?The stem cells from the umbilical cord are the most primitive and earliest stem cells that we can get and we can store these stem cells at ?196 degrees Celsius. When the stem cells are in the state of non-aging because they are frozen in time, we can be assured of stem cells that are the youngest and have the most promise when being used one day for the patient,? Daly said.
?Stem cells are the basic building blocks of all our tissues... Stem cells? natural capability is to help in the area where tissues are damaged or destroyed, these stem cells go to the area and help build and repair our tissues,? Daly said.
Daly said cord blood stem cells have been proven to aid in treating over 80 types of diseases, including certain types of cancers and other blood related disorders like leukemia and lymphoma.
She said that there have been positive results in tests on stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy and type 1 diabetes.
Daly said that cord blood cells from your baby could also be used to treat other family members, with 75 percent chance of a match with siblings and up to 50 percent match with parents.
?Tests have shown that stem cell transplant using cells from a family member has doubled the survival rate [of the patient] as compared to when it comes from an unrelated donor,? Daly said.
?We believe that with sufficient clinical evidence of successful therapies, more medical options may be available to families who have stored their children?s cord blood,? Fang said.
There are other methods of extracting stem cells like drawing blood from an adult's bone marrow which is an invasive procedure and has medical risks and through the controversial embryonic stem cell extraction, which poses moral and ethical issues because the process requires aborting the newly formed embryo, Daly said.
For comedienne Giselle Sanchez, a second-time mother, CordLife is ?an investment, just like bonds, stocks and saving. The difference is no matter how much interest you get in bonds and portfolio savings, you can't save your child's life or your loved one's should he/ she be stricken with a life-threatening disease, God forbid."
Sanchez, who spoke at the inauguration, disclosed that she had both her children?s cord blood stored at the flagship facility in Singapore.
Established in 2001, CordLife adheres to quality standards of the American Association of Blood Banks, the International Organization for Standardization and Therapeutic Goods Administration, among others.
The Philippine outlet is the company's seventh facility worldwide with branches at Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, Netherlands, and India.
To avail of CordLife?s services, a P40,000 enrolment fee is required. This will include cord blood collection, procedural fee, processing, infectious disease tests and transport of the collected blood within Metro Manila.
An annual fee of P8,000 is also required for the maintenance of the cord blood unit.
For more inquiries, you can call 09178878611 or visit CordLife Phils. at Unit 101 Building H, UP-AyalaLand Technohub.
