LifeCell launches improved and advanced umbilical cord stem cell collection kit

CHENNAI: Most expectant parents draw a checklist of things that need to be taken to the hospital at the time of delivery. The most important thing out of the entire checklist would be the umbilical cord collection kit, which shouldn't be missed out at any cost.

Parents opting for stem cell banking usually wonder how the collection kit would look like? Whether it would be sturdy and safe to transport the baby's precious stem cells? The above questions might be food for thought.

LifeCell, India's first and largest stem cell bank, a pioneer in stem cell research, announced the launch of its advanced collection kit made of stainless steel to address the key concern of protection of the unit during transit from the hospital to the preservation center.

The baby's precious stem cells need to be transported with utmost care right from the delivery room at the hospital to the cryo cylinder at the storage facility. Hence, it is essential that optimal standards of cold chain and physical safety are necessary for the maintenance of cell integrity and quality of the sample that is transported.

The collection kit is provided to expectant parents at the time of enrollment for umbilical cord stem-cell banking. This kit needs to be carried to the hospital at the time of delivery and the umbilical cord blood and cord tissue are collected in it for safe, secure and swift transportation to the laboratory.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mayur Abhaya, MD & CEO, LifeCell said, "Maintaining sample integrity begins right from the time of collection and transport. Steps taken to do this safely will ensure that the sample that we release to families at the time of need would match the international transplant standards. LifeCell has been appreciated by leading transplant centers in the world for the quality of samples preserved and released for transplant. We want to take this standard a notch higher through the launch of this advanced kit. This is yet another valuable addition to our service ensuring better handling of the sample during transit. LifeCell's new steel kit ensures that a baby's precious stem cells are protected against fluctuations from external temperature and other damages."

The new features that make the kit box stand out from the rest are:

Physical Safety

The tough stainless steel outer body offers maximal physical protection to the sample, as it has 700 times more tensile strength than thermocol. This ensures that the sample is kept safe from crashes and pressures.

Optimum Temperature Maintenance

The desired temperature range for sample safety during transit is 2-28 Deg C. Since the maintenance of low temperature during transit is very crucial for the sample integrity, our specially vacuum insulated collection kit ensures longer maintenance of the desired range of temperature (2-28 Deg C for 72 hours).

Water Resistant

Metallic outer body of the new steel kit prevents water seepage during the transit, keeping the kit contents including the samples and documents safe. Thus, the kit is designed to provide high level of sustained protection from external contaminants and vagaries of climatic changes that can occur during transit.

Compact

Its space saving design makes the kit compact and occupies 40% lesser volumetric dimension compared to the thermocol collection kit. There are also specific slots within the kit to place the samples intact and prevent shakes during transport. This is yet another commitment from LifeCell to deliver quality service right from the time of collection and transportation of cord blood and tissue to the bank.

Eco-Friendly

The new kit is eco-friendly as it can be recycled and does not cause any environmental hazards.