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Extensive tests
As the only provider, eticur) also routinely applies the stipulated standards by the German Medical Association for not-own (allogenic) donations to the autologous storage of your child´s stem cells in terms of processing, testing and freezing. This guarantees highest quality.
Vitality of the stem cells
In order to ensure that the stored stem cells can really be used when needed, eticur) performs a number of tests.
The quality of the umbilical cord blood could still be affected by e.g. unwanted variations in temperature even though all safety precautions are taken during transport.
Therefore, it has to be tested if the cells are still viable and able to divide when they reach the laboratory. Many providers pretend to test this by colouring and observing the cells under a microscope. But this test is not reliable, as a simple colouring can erroneously declare cells as vital although the apoptosis (dying off) has already set in. Such cells can not divide later and can therefore not be used. It would therefore be entirely unnecessary to freeze such cells and to pay for such a service. Therefore, eticur checks the vitality of the cells by setting up elaborate cell cultures. This method is far more effective.
And eticur) even goes a step further. By simulating the entire freezing- and unfreezing process with a little sample, it is guaranteed that the cells will survive the cryo-preservation freezing without any harm. You can therefore rest assured that the cells can really be usable if required.
Proof that there are no infections
In order to use material for treatments, it has to be free of pathogens. eticur) ensures that in two ways, as both the umbilical cord blood as also the maternal blood is scanned for pathogens:
On the one hand, the umbilical cord blood can be infected as it was contaminated during the collection. This happens when pathogens which are on the outside of the umbilical cord get inside during the cannulation of the umbilical cord vessels. These can be directly proved in the umbilical cord blood nachweisen.
The second possibility is an infection from mother to child. Normally, the child is protected from infections in the womb. But if the mother carrries pathogens in her body at the time of birth, the baby and therefore also the umbilical cord blood – can be infected at birth as it contacts maternal blood. Therefore, the maternal blood is also examined.
This proof of a maternal infection normally takes place by determining antibodies against possible pathogens. But probably the mother has a so-called “diagnostic window” at the time of birth; this means that the mother only carries infection pathogens, so that no antibodies have developed yet. Contrary to many statements, it is not enough in this case, to only perform a determination of the antibodies in order to safely confirm that there are no infections. Therefore, eticur) carries out additional examinations. Thereby, it is checked if there are any pathogens in the maternal genoms. This direct proof is very extensive and expensive, but in this way eticur) ensures that every child can really profit from the storage in his later life.
© 2004-2012 eticur) GmbH, Am Klopferspitz 19, 82152 Martinsried, Tel. +49 (89) 125981-0
