Geocord is a private UC blood bank that stores cord blood stem cells and operates according to the modern global standards for cord blood stem cell production, processing and storage. It is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

There are dozens of private or family cord blood banks worldwide where parents store their babies’ cord blood stem cells. The choice is vast. Being well-informed about processing standards will help the  customer to make the best choice.

We will gladly acquaint you with the stages and standards of cord blood processing in our cord blood bank.

  1. Separation of cord blood stem cells from erythrocytes and plasma which is called erythrocyte depletion. Erythrocyte depletion is the modern global standard and is performed with hydroxyethyl starch, which is also widely used and well tested in medicine. If red blood cells are not removed, most of the red blood cells are depleted by freezing in liquid nitrogen, and the hemoglobin released is toxic in transplantation and can cause renal failure.
  2. Umbilical cord blood freezing: Freezing of cord blood cells is a delicate and very sensitive process. Because the temperature of liquid nitrogen is -196°C, the sudden transfer of cells from room temperature (i.e. 20-25°C) to -196°C is a severe shock to the cells, causing the death of a significant proportion of stem cells. Today, the world standard is freezing of  stem cells in  the so called programmable freezer, where a special freezer cools the cells gradually, at -1°C per minute, which ensures high cell viability. At the same time, a cryoprotective agent is added to the cell concentrate to protect the frozen cells from damage. The name of this substance is dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), which is also the world standard. As a result, the viability of our customers’ frozen cells is preserved as much as possible.
  3. Tests that are performed for umbilical cord blood tests at Geocord
    In line with modern standards, umbilical cord blood is subjected to the following tests:
    Complete blood count
    Blood type and Rh factor
    Sterility tests:
    Bacteriological examination of the blood (aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi)
    Polymerase chain reaction tests for the following viruses: two types of AIDS-causing immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, cytomegalovirus, two types of T-lymphotropic leukemia virus (causes leukemia).
    Serological tests for syphilis
  1. Cells are examined with a modern method of examination called flow cytometry, which determines the number, percentage composition and viability of stem cells

Labelling and testing of cells using CD34 and CD45 antibodies is a worldwide standard. The result of the test is  a so called cytogram.

Samples after this processing are stored in modern vapor-phase liquid nitrogen tanks, and the tanks are monitored continuously.