ViaCord: A Leader in Advancing the Application of Cord Blood Stem Cells
ViaCord is a recognized leader in cord blood banking and has a long heritage of participating in application development to increase the value of newborn stem cells as a health resource for families. In fact, our scientific expertise is at the core of everything we do.
ViaCord holds the patent to USSC’s (unrestricted somatic stem cells) which show promise in advancing the use of cell therapy. ViaCord also provides support to research institutions where scientists are studying and identifying new ways to use this unique medical resource to protect your family.
- Using ViaCord’s USSC’s, researchers at Brigham & Women’s University & the University of Massachusetts Medical School are working to reverse autoimmune diseases. Your immune system is designed to protect your body from germs and other “invaders” but sometimes the body does not recognize when a cell is okay, triggering autoimmune diseases like Diabetes, Crohn’s Disease & Lupus.
- M. D. Anderson, with the support of ViaCord, is conducting a clinical trial to explore a cord blood expansion technology called “Co-culture.” Cord blood is a valuable, non-controversial source of stem cells with proven effect in treating nearly 80 serious diseases, including many cancers. However, today, the quantity of stem cells available in a single umbilical cord blood unit is often not sufficient to treat adult patients. Cord blood expansion technologies, such as Co-culture, may make it possible to use these stem cells to treat even more patients by increasing the total number of stem cells available from a single cord blood unit.
In addition the pre-clinical research being conducted at these renowned academic institutions with ViaCord support, ViaCord families have actively participated in two human clinical trials.
As of January 2011, over 60 ViaCord families have participated in these FDA-approved clinical trials using the patients’ own cord blood.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The use of cord blood stem cells for emerging treatments is experimental.