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Current questions about transport & storage
Who informs the courier after the blood is collected?
After the blood is collected from the umbilical cord, the hospital personnel call the 24-hour courier hotline by eticur). You do not have to do anything. The hotline service member who takes the call, immediately informs the responsible courier. This courier picks up the collection box in the hospital and brings it to the stem cell bank of the University Hospital Erlangen. The collection box is especially insulated and equipped with a surveillance system which records all temperature data during transport.
Does the courier come directly from Martinsried or Erlangen?
No, eticur) cooperates with a large courier network which provides a comprehensive network of stations all over Germany. The courier always comes from the closest subsidiary in order to ensure a quick transport of the umbilical cord blood to the stem cell bank of the University Hospital Erlangen.
Why is the umbilical cord blood transported in a special container?
The regulations of the German Medical Association stipulate that umbilical cord blood should be transported at a temperature between 18-26°C. Therefore, eticur) uses a special transport container. In order to protect the cells from harmful variations in temperature, this container is lined with an insulating material. Moreover, the blood bag is placed between two gel pads which absorb heat and coldness to a certain extent and therefore keep a constant temperature inside the box for many hours. Moreover, the inner temperature is monitored and recorded during the entire transport until it reaches the stem cell bank of the University Hospital with a special sensing head and the collected data is then evaluated.
How long does it take until the blood reaches the stem cell bank of the University Hospital Erlangen?
According to the regulations of the German health authorities for umbilical cord blood, the blood should be processed in the laboratory within 48 hours. We determined a maximum time of 24 hours, where as in many cases this time limit is hardly needed for transport. Of course, the laboratories of the stem cell bank at the University Hospital Erlangen are also open 24 hours at weekends and bank holidays and expert staff is always on obligation. Therefore, a quick, professional processing and storage of your child´s stem cells can be guaranteed without any delay.
Where and how are the stem cells stored?
The storage of umbilical cord blood in the stem cell bank of the University Hospital Erlangen is carried out by using stat of the art technology and applying the strictest security measures. The storage takes place in special tanks at a temperature of minus 175° Celsius. Biological systems stop their metabolism already at minus 120° Celsius. The stem cell material is therefore in an absolute safe temperature range. The temperature is constantly monitored by three independent warming systems. Moreover, the cooling of the tanks does not depend on electric energy so that an entire electric power outage or even a failure of the emergency power generator can not affect the storage.
How long can stem cells be stored for?
It is known that biological systems completely stop their metabolisms at temperatures below minus 120° Celsius. This means that processes such as aging, cell growth or cell division are completely disrupted during the time of freezing. It is generally assumed that in this way, samples can be stored unmodified for decades or even centuries. Concrete empirical values for successful transplantations of stem cells from umbilical cord blood after unfreezing exist since 1989. According to today´s state of knowledge it can be assumed that the biological functions remain intact over many decades and the cells can be used for the whole duration of a human life. There is no expiry date.
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