1. Is it worth storing stem cells?

Cord Blood Stem Cells have high regenerative properties & the ability to transform into blood cells, brain cells, muscle cells, bone cells etc. Currently, they are used to treat 80+ life-threatening medical conditions.

By storing the precious cord blood of your baby with LifeCell, you can now protect not just the baby but the entire family including parents, siblings, maternal & paternal grandparents for a lifetime.

2. Is Cord Blood Collection painful?

One, among many, benefits of using cord blood stem cells, compared to stem cells gathered from other sources, is that cord blood is a fairly simple and non-invasive process to collect. There is absolutely no pain or risk to the mother or child.

3. What are the applications of cord blood stem cells?

As a result of their ability to self-renew and differentiate into different cell types, stem cells have found applications in the treatment of various diseases. Currently, cord blood stem cells are being successfully used and studied for further applications in the following areas.

1. Tissue regeneration: Stem cells find use in repair and restoration of damaged tissues or organs in case of severe injuries and chronic diseases.

2. Disease treatment: These remarkable stem cells have the potential to treat various medical conditions. These include forms of blood cancers as well as various genetic, immune, and metabolic disorders. For instance, the FDA has approved the treatment of over 80 diseases using cord blood stem cells. Full list provided here.

With ongoing research and developments in the field of stem cells, treatment of various debilitating ailments shows promising results.

4. Banking my baby’s cord blood with a private bank will ensure a 100% match for him. Why should I opt for community bank?

Majority (>90%) of the blood related medical conditions would require stem cells from a healthy matching donor for treatment as our own stem cells contain the same defect (root cause of the problem) that causes the disease, hence they cannot be used for treatment

Example: Consider a case where the child is diagnosed with thalassemia and is in need of a stem cell transplant. Since his own cells will be affected with the same thalassemia gene, he will need stem cells from a related or unrelated matched donor.

5. My Baby’s cord blood will be given to someone else. What if in case own stem cells are required?

Answer: The odds of using own stem cells in a lifetime is >0.04%. There is no risk to share your baby’s stem cells. Similarly to blood, our body’s own stem cells also regenerate continuously. If required, own stem cells can be easily retrieved from the blood or bone marrow of our body.

For instance, Actor Lisa Ray did not have the facility to preserve her umbilical cord blood stem cells at birth. However, in order to treat her Multiple Myeloma, a type of blood cancer, her own peripheral blood stem cells came to her rescue and gave her a new lease of life.

Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1083879107005745

1. I need to know more about LifeCell Diagnostic Tests & collection procedure here .

Visit https://www.lifecell.in/diagnostics/newborn-screening

2. What happens when you Enrol for Newborn Screening with us?

1. Enrol for the service with LifeCell and receive the collection kit.

2. Our paramedic will safely collect the blood sample from the baby.

3. The sample is examined using an advanced 2-step testing process.

4. Test reports shall be provided in a TAT of 24 hrs from receipt of sample at LifeCell facility.

5. The test reports shall be available on our website, click https://www.lifecell.in/diagnostics/access-report.

6. Login using CRM and the password would be your registered email id/mobile number.

7. All newborn screening reports are available only as a soft copy.

3. Blood Sample Collection Procedure – New Born Screening

Do’s:

1. Follow the below steps to collect the blood sample.

2. Ensure that the heel is warmed by brisk rubbing.

3. Cleanse and dry the surface [L1] of the heel.

4. Squeeze the skin taut.

5. Puncher firmly using lancet, only in shaded area. (fig 1)

6. Wipe away the first blood drop.

7. Touch the circle on the card to the hanging second drop.

8. Blood has to soak through to the back of the filter paper.

9. Repeat from step 6 for remaining circles.

10.Air dry by hanging the card with a clip / keeping on a clean flat and sterile surface.

Don’ts

1. Do not absorb the second drop in the same circle after absorbing the first drop.

2. Do not stack the filter papers in a way that the blood samples touch those of the filter papers.

3. Do not dry directly under the sun/ by using any instruments.

4. Do not send the sample without filling the forms or without your consent. This may cause delay in processing of the sample as our team shall be coordinating for the details before processing the sample.

4. Urine Sample Collection Procedure – Newborn Screening

Follow the below steps and guidelines for urine sample collection.

1.Hold the filter paper close to the genital area until baby passes urine directly on it. (Fig 1) This may require some patience on your part or you may first collect urine sample in a sterile container and then dip the filter papers in it. (Fig 2)

2. Sample drying – Air dry the filter papers by holding it in hand or hanging with a clip for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Keep the filter papers in plastic bag, close it tightly.

4. Keep it in a self-addressed envelope along with filled form and send.[L2]

Don’ts

1. Do not touch the filter papers or keep them away from any surface which may be contaminated.

2. Do not stack the filter paper in a way that they touch each other.

3. Do not dry under direct sunlight or using any instruments.

4. Do not send the sample without filling the forms or without your consent. This may cause delay in processing of the sample as our team shall be coordinating for the details before processing the sample.

5. How do I access my New Born Screening ( NBS ) Report :

1. Once the report is ready, you will receive an email with the soft copy of the report as an attachment

2. The report is also available in our website

3. The email will have the login credentials to access this report from our website, click https://www.lifecell.in/diagnostics/access-report.

4. Login using CRM and the password is your registered email id/mobile number.

5. All newborn screening reports will be available only as soft copy.

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1. What is a chronic wound?

Any wound that fails to respond to treatment even after four weeks or remains unhealed entirely in two months is regarded as a chronic wound (1). A chronic wound is often found to be further complicated due to underlying conditions like diabetes, circulation problems, etc. due to the interruption of the body’s natural healing process. Some of the common chronic wound conditions include diabetic foot ulcers, venous ulcers, surgical site injuries, burn injuries, and pressure ulcers (1).

2. Why are chronic wounds regarded as a challenge by wound care professionals?

Chronic, non-healing wounds can be debilitating for the affected individual and its management has become a major therapeutic challenge throughout the world. At present, moist dressings, debridement, infection control, and wound offloading are standard therapies to treat diabetic ulcers (2).

Antibiotics often fail to ‘cure’ an ulcer, although this might be because the systemic and/or topical delivery of antibiotics fails to reach the microbes owing to poor circulation and/or biofilm barriers (3).

Advanced therapies, such as bioengineered skin grafts, have been shown to accelerate wound closure, thereby resulting in a more consistent and faster wound healing compared with standard treatments (4).

3. Is there a risk of transmitting infectious diseases to the recipients from amniotic membrane donors?

Prior to donation, the donor’s medical and social history are screened for medical conditions or diseases that would contraindicate the donation of tissues in accordance with current policies and procedures approved by LifeCell. Donor blood samples taken at the time of collection are tested negative/non -reactive for relevant communicable and infectious disease agents at LifeCell International, which has requisite national and/or international accreditations.

1. HIV-1/2 antibody & HIV antigen

2. Hepatitis B surface antigen

3. Hepatitis B core antibody

4. Hepatitis C antibody

5. Syphilis

6. Malaria

7. HTLV I & II antibody

8. CMV IgG

9. HIV-1 (NAT)

10. HCV (NAT)

In addition, LifeCell provides a certificate of analysis (CoA) for more details, on request.

4. Are your products ready-to-use?

Yes, all our products are ready-to-use.

5. Is your product reusable?

No, each product is for single use only.

For any customer related queries, please click here