Company news

Europe’s Leading Stem Cell Bank launches innovative service for liposuction market

Cryo-Save today announced the European introduction of Cryo-Lip, a new product that allows the collection, processing and storage of a rich mixture of adult stem cells from liposuction aspirate (fatty tissue that is normally discarded). A novel cryopreservation process for fatty tissue has been developed and submitted as an international patent by Cryo-Save.

Adult Stem Cells
The primary roles of adult stem cells are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. There are two main types: Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), forming all blood cells and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), able to differentiate into multiple cell types such as bone, fat, muscle and cartilage.

Fat or adipose tissue is an ideal source of adult stem cells:

• It is very rich in MSCs, for example a 500 times higher concentration than in bone marrow
• It is readily available, the 50ml needed for Cryo-Lip can easily be obtained from a liposuction
• It is autologous, adult tissue, and hence no ethical or immunological issues
• It is normally discarded anyway

Clinical Applications
The use of Adipose-derived Stem Cells (ASCs) promises much as testified by the exponential increase in both peer-reviewed medical publications and ongoing clinical trials.

 
Professor Marco Gasparotti, an eminent Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon from Rome and the pioneer of the superficial liposculpture technique , commented: “I am pleased to join the Cryo-Lip Advisory Panel as I believe that adipose-derived stem cells will play an important role in the future of both regenerative medicine and cosmetic surgery. The cryopreservation of such cells from liposuction waste material will further enhance the basis for future therapeutic advances”.

 
The Cryo-Lip service will initially only be available in Europe and will be offered by qualified and trained physicians. “We will focus our communications on plastic surgeons who are experienced in liposuction procedures and have set up a partnership program for physicians under the auspices of our Advisory Panel”, said Dr Henk Snyman, General Manager for Cryo-Lip.

Arnoud van Tulder, the Cryo-Save CEO, added: “The addition of the Cryo-Lip service is an important advance for our company and allows us to leverage our market leadership position in the cryopreservation of adult stem cells”.

For further information, please contact:
Henk Snyman, MD General Manager
Tel.: +41 555 330 122

E-mail info@cryo-lip.com 
Websites : www.cryo-lip.com www.cryo-save.com

CORD BLOOD EUROPE CALLS FOR BETTER EDUCATION AMONG PARENTS-TO-BE

Brussels (Belgium) – 1 October 2009 - Cord Blood Europe calls for better education and understanding about the value of cord blood stem cells among parents-to-be. “The long-term storage of stem cells at birth is still far below 5% of the total annual births in many European countries ”, says Dr. Eberhard Lampeter, President of Cord Blood Europe. “Although there are 5.4 million births each year in Europe, less than 400,000 stem cell samples have been stored to date by both private family and public donation banks.” In the United States an increasing number of federal states have adopted legislation that requires health care providers to deliver mandatory information about the advantages of storing and donating stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

Cord blood contains very young and healthy stem cells, which have the potential to cure previously untreatable diseases. More than 100 diseases like cancer, leukemia, brain disease and diabetes type 1 are treated with adult stem cells from cord blood or bone marrow. It has been determined that there is a 1:200 life time probability for need of a stem cell-based treatment. 20.000 people have already been treated with umbilical stem cells and, with over 3,000 clinical trials ongoing, the number of treatments will further increase.

Cord Blood Europe’s mission is to promote awareness about the advantages of adult stem cells and to increase their storage at birth in Europe, so that thousands of potent umbilical stem cell samples are stored and not considered useless any longer. “As the number of clinical trials with adult stem cells is expanding, there is a need for policymakers and healthcare professionals across Europe to focus more and put impetus on raising awareness about the advantages of stem cells”, Lampeter highlights. “There is no second chance to collect cord blood. Hence, impartial and balanced education of the parents-to-be about the potential of their children’s cord blood is required.”

ABOUT CORD BLOOD EUROPE:

Cord Blood Europe A.I.S.B.L. (not-for-profit) is the European Association of Family Cord Blood Banks and has its representation offices in Brussels. Seven leading stem cell storage companies from various European countries– CrioEstaminal (Portugal), Cryo-Save (Netherlands), Future Health Technology (United Kingdom), Polski Bank Komorek Macierzystych (Poland), Stemcare (Denmark), Swiss Stem Cell Bank (Switzerland) and VITA34 (Germany) – have established this new trade association in January 2009.

Cord Blood Europe provides a platform of co-operation and exchange of best practices in the field of stem cell storage and regenerative medicines. The association members encourage and contribute to a harmonized regulatory framework of European policies on cells and tissues, and comply with the highest levels of safety and quality in their laboratories. The members of Cord Blood Europe are active in all EU and EFTA countries.

For more information, visit www.cordbloodeurope.org

Today, Cryo-Save opened a new high-tech laboratory in the research park Waterfront in Niel near Antwerp. Cryo-Save specializes in research into adult stem cells and their long-term storage for medical therapeutic use. The new laboratory facility will be capable of storing up to 1 million samples and is the largest stem cell bank in Europe. The investment amounts to almost €6 million.

25,000 samples per year

Cryo-Save specializes in the long-term storage of ‘adult’ stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood at birth. The company annually processes more than 25,000 new samples collected according to very strict procedures. With more than 108,000 samples stored in Belgium, Cryo-Save is the European market leader and one of the top five in the world.

In the last two years the company has seen a huge increase in the number of samples received, mainly from southern European countries. “The establishment of a stem cell bank of this size and format is necessary because science is rapidly evolving. There are more and more diseases that are in clinical research for medical treatment with stem cells. This means that in the future ever more storage capacity will be needed,” says Marc Waeterschoot, founder and CEO. “Not only is the number of transplants increasing, but we are also constantly developing new methods for collecting stem cells, which means we expect the demand for storage facilities will also continue to increase.”

The stem cells are used by medical specialists to treat an ever-growing range of diseases. The Cryo-Save approach is unique in so far that the stem cells are stored under the name of the owner and thus remain available to the individual donor him/herself. In some countries, subject to the legislation, Cryo-Save will also collaborate with stem cell banks that use stem cells for patients other than donors.

Firmly established

Cryo-Save has invested almost €6 million in the construction of the new complex of 5000m² in Niel, which combines research laboratories, processing and offices. There are currently 30 highly trained employees working, but staff is expected to grow in the coming years. When it comes to stem cell research, Belgium has a strong international reputation, making it easier to find and attract people with specialized skills. In addition since the transposition of European guidelines in 2008, Belgian legislation offers sufficient legal certainty for Cryo-Save’s activities.

The location in the Waterfront science park associated with the University of Antwerp ensures rapid access from the rest of Europe via Brussels, Antwerp or Amsterdam. Opting for the Waterfront science park also opens up a unique opportunity for collaboration between the University and the company. Up-and-coming researchers get the chance to carry out research in the Cryo-Save laboratories.

OPEN LETTER TO ALL CUSTOMERS

Dear parents,

We are proud to be able to announce that we now have saved the stem cells from over 100,000 children. This significant landmark was reached a few days ago when the stem cells from the one hundred thousandth newborn child were safely stored in our facilities.

By reaching this important milestone, we have underlined our leading position in Europe, not only in terms of market share, but also in setting the highest standards in stem cell storage, and our commitment to research to further improve cryopreservation techniques.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all very much. Your confidence and trust in our company and service has allowed us to become the leading stem cell bank in Europe.

Reaching this milestone is significant to us, but what inspires us most is helping families at need. At this very moment we have several sample release requests with the potential to save just as many lives. Lives of the children themselves either or lives of their family members.

Twenty years ago just one disease could be treated with umbilical cord stem cells; ten years ago only a handful. Today umbilical cord stem cells have been successfully used in the treatment of more than 70 diseases. Since the first successful umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation in 1988, the total number has now grown to approximately 15,000. Currently about 3,000 transplants are performed each year. We are extremely happy to be able to contribute to the success of these lifesaving developments.

Yours sincerely,

The Cryo-Save Team

Cryo-Save are pleased to announce the new appointment of Professor McGuckin as Scientific Director to the group on 5th of January 2009

In his new role Professor McGuckin will be responsible for integrating new scientific technologies and keeping Cryo-Save’s storage services at the leading edge.

Professor McGuckin is a stem cell pioneer who developed the first "mini-liver" from human umbilical cord blood. His team has gone on to develop cord blood cells into many other human tissues, including nervous tissue and blood vessels amongst others. Recently his team has created artificial “pancreatic islets” - producers of insulin impaired in diabetic patients, which may have major implications for the development of stem cells for the treatment of diabetes.

In a recent interview, Professor McGuckin stated: "My vocation is to treat patients with umbilical cord blood. I believe that Cryo-Save, with their innovative and responsible programme for storing cord blood will help us achieve this goal faster and for more patients on an international scale. The speed that stem cell treatments are being developed now requires that we plan for the future healthcare needs of our nations."

Rob Koremans, CEO of Cryo-Save, said: "Gaining such a tremendous scientific know how will help sustain our financial security and contributions to patients. Prof. McGuckin’s recruitment is an auxiliary step in our efforts to put Cryo-Save at the forefront of the global stem cell market place."

Working in stem cells for over 20 years, Professor McGuckin is an opinion leader who has been called upon by governments and hospitals around the world, including the US Senate, the United Nations (Geneva) and the Parliaments of France, UK, Austria and Germany. Colin McGuckin is also President of the Novus Sanguis Consortium, which was launched in 2008 under the patronage of the President of the European Parliament. Novus Sanguis brings together leading adult stem cell researchers and clinicians from across the world to work on specific diseases of the human condition, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and organ regeneration.

About Cryo-Save

Porto / Brussels July 16 2007. – A child suffering from a severe T-cell (CD8+) immune deficiency syndrome has been treated successfully with umbilical cord blood stem cells in Portugal. The child’s congenital dificiency was clinically diagnosed in Coimbra. The transplantation treatment was performed at the Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, lead by director Dr. Pedro Pimentel at the Oncology Institute in Porto. Dr. Alzira Carvalhais is the head of the Immuno-Hemato Therapy Department.

The transplantation was performed mid February and the child could leave the hospital after 35 days of strict isolation by end of March 2007. The stem cells used for this transplantation were derived from the child’s brother. The stem cells were harvested from the umbilical cord blood using a collection kit provided by Cryo-Save. The umbilical cord blood sample was processed and stored at the private stem cell bank facilities of Cryo-Save in Belgium.

The Oncology Institute is certified from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and has gained expertise and reputation. Upon the explicit medical recommendation by Dr. Pedro Pimentel, the use of stem cells from the child’s brother were preferred because of compatibility and availability. The stem cells were released by Cryo-Save and qualified for this treatment both from a qualitative and a quantitative perspective.

"We are very happy that this child has been treated successfully with his own brother’s stem cells. Luckily the child’s parents were convinced to store the stem cells in a private bank at our facilities", says Marc Waeterschoot, CEO Cryo-Save Group. "Treatments using umbilical cord blood stem cells are becoming more and more important for different diseases, such as leukaemia, lymphomas, immune deficiencies etc. However a case by case assessment remains always necessary. For treatments within a family, where the child’s own stem cells cannot be used in certain clinical indications, stem cells from brothers or sisters can be preferred. This case underlines the importance of storing a child’s stem cells at birth and illustrates once more the ideal cooperation between a public and private stem cell bank."

Cryo-Save stem cell storage services are provided to children and families all over Europe and in Portugal since 2003. Currently more than 11.000 samples from Portugal are stored in the state of the art laboratory facilities in Belgium. Cryo-Save is represented in Portugal through Cryo-Save Portugal and its distributor (Grupo Sampletest), who is providing additional information to doctors, obstetricians and parents about the relevance of storing stem cells derived from the umbilical cord blood.