What is Cord Blood?
Cord blood is a unique biological material that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta immediately after the birth of your baby. What makes it unique is that it contains special stem cells called HEMATOPOETICS, which are young, active, strong, capable of regenerating our blood and immune cells, which can only be obtained once at the time of birth.
The Vital Importance of Cord Blood Stem Cells and Cancer Treatment
Stem cells obtained from cord blood and cord tissue are used in the treatment of many diseases related to blood tissue (lymphoma, anemia, thalassemia, etc.) and scientific and clinical studies are progressing day by day. In addition, when stem cells are not stored in the cord blood bank, in case of need, the queue for obtaining blood stem cells from other people with tissue compatibility is waited and there is a delay in starting treatment quickly.
In which diseases can cord blood (hematopoeitic stem cells) be used?
In line with current scientific data, nearly 90 diseases in which hematopoietic stem cells can be used are known. 4
What is Cord Tissue?
The umbilical cord is the tissue that connects mother and baby and carries the materials necessary for the baby’s vital functions such as oxygen and nutrients. This tissue, which is cut and discarded at birth, contains a structure called Wharton’s Gel, which, just like cord blood, cannot be obtained again. Within this structure, multipotent stem cells called mesenchymal, which have the ability to repair all our cells, tissues and organs other than our blood and immune cells, are obtained.
Mesenchymal stem cells obtained from Wharton gel;
– In autoimmune diseases (Type-1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, etc.),
– Organ failures (especially in premature babies),
– Knee, joint and cartilage damage,
– More than 78,000 scientific (7586 studies in 2011-2022 alone) and clinical trials (58+) 6
More than 78,000 scientific (7586 studies only in 2011-2022) 5 and clinical studies (58+) 6 have been conducted so far with research budgets of billions of dollars in the world. With each passing year, studies are being advanced and it is hoped that mesenchymal stem cells will be included in routine treatment protocols.
What are the advantages?
– Compared to other stem cell sources, mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton’s Gel are unaffected by environmental damage and have a higher ability to regenerate, repair and differentiate into different cells. When stem cells are needed in the future, not only will the harvesting process be operationally painful, but the cells obtained will be aged and relatively less effective.
– If needed, only a small amount of the stored cells can be produced and prepared for application by our center without any tissue compatibility within the family. The remaining cells will continue to be stored.
What is Foreskin Banking?
Foreskin banking is the process of taking the cut skin of the male child who has undergone circumcision operation under aseptic conditions and cryopreserving and storing it in the laboratory environment after separating the fibroblasts, one of its main cells.
Foreskin is a 3-layered tissue that protects our body from external factors, provides thermal insulation and expels various harmful chemicals, just like our normal dermal tissues. In the middle layer of this 3-layered structure, there are fibroblast cells, which we call the dermis and which are responsible for the youth, elasticity, collagen and other building block molecules of the skin. These cells have been actively used in chronic wound treatments, high-tech biomaterials and injectable dermal tissue regeneration since the 1990s.
Fibroblasts;
– In diabetic and ulcerative chronic wounds,
– In burn cases,
– Epidermolysis Bullosada,
– Scar tissues
– It has been shown in scientific and clinical studies that it can be used in wrinkle and tissue rejuvenation (anti-aging) applications. There are many products approved for fibroblast applications by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). 7,8 In addition, biomaterials containing fibroblast cells are actively used around the world. 9
Foreskin banking is offered for the first time in Turkey for autologous, allogeneic and mixed use by DOKU BIOTECHNOLOGY Stem Cell, Biobank and Tissue Engineering Center.
What are the Advantages?
Fibroblasts derived from foreskin have a high potency in terms of their ability to produce skin building proteins at a high rate compared to adult cells, especially if they are stored within a short period of time after birth. These cells have not been exposed to any harmful environmental influences and are healthy and dynamic.
Although fibroblasts from our adult tissues can also be used, they are aged, exposed to metabolic effects and have decreased activity compared to fibroblasts obtained from foreskin. In addition, the structures called telomeres, which are located at the ends of our chromosomes and express the life span of our cells in a sense, are many times higher, especially in newborn foreskin fibroblasts. Therefore, thanks to these advantages, it is thought that fibroblasts obtained from the foreskin can provide long-term and high degree of efficiency, especially in dermal tissue regeneration.
If the circumcision operation is performed within a short period of time after birth, the stored cells can be produced and prepared to be applied repeatedly if needed without any tissue compatibility within the family.
1 www.who.int
2 www.thd.org.tr
3 Milliyet gazetesi, Haziran 2019.
4 www.yeditepehastanesi.com.tr
5 United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) (www.pubmed.com)
6 www.clinicaltrials.gov.tr
7 https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/advanced-therapy-medicinal-products-overview
8 https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/cellular-gene-therapy-products/gintuit-allogeneic-cultured-keratinocytes- and-fibroblasts-bovine-collagen
9 https://apligraf.com/
Our center is not a standard cord blood bank. It has GMP approval and Ministry of Health license for the ability to preserve many different tissues (foreskin, etc.) and to produce stem cells (12 different cellular products) when necessary, and it also has million-dollar R&D investments and tissue engineering products (gene therapies, cancer vaccines). It is a STEM CELL, BIOBANKING and TISSUE ENGINEERING center that has the competence and infrastructure to develop (immunotherapy products). It has the ability to provide much more than the stored cord blood and tissue to you and your baby quickly and effectively in accordance with technological requirements when needed in the future.
• It is the facility with the world’s 9th and Europe’s FIRST NEW GENERATION storage tank. Long-term storage costs in cord blood banks are high. Our center does not use conventional nitrogen tanks that prioritize low costs, but rather uses state-of-the-art tanks that prioritize product safety, produce their own nitrogen, and have mobility. In case of a possible fire, earthquake or disaster in the facility, it can both produce its own nitrogen and be easily transferred to a safe location (designed as a mobile system), which prioritizes product safety, compared to fixed conventional tanks that need constant nitrogen filling and have a fixed piping system. is a clear indication of our vision that cares about people.
Why Dokucell?
• The Manager of our Center is a Hematologist Specialist doctor. He worked as the physician in charge of the bone marrow transplantation unit in A+ hospitals of our country for many years. Due to its expertise (on blood science) and experience, both in terms of quality and safe storage of cord blood and tissue and in case the family needs it in the future (transplant situation); The practitioner is the person who can convey the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate information to the physician. It should not be forgotten that the most important point in the banking process is the quality and versatility of the services to be provided in case of need!
• Our center is the ONLY CENTER that undertakes to provide support in the supply of another histocompatible stem cell (allogeneic) including domestic or international centers, in case the hematopoeitic stem cells required for the treatment of the baby are not currently sufficient.
• All stored cord blood and tissues are under insurance coverage.
• It is the ONLY CENTER that offers families access to their baby’s information 24/7 via both BANKING CUSTODY CERTIFICATE and Mobile Application.
How many years can tissue/cell be stored?
According to the Cord Blood Banking Regulation (dated 2005), the storage period for cord blood is determined as 15 years. However, studies conducted in the world show that this period can continue safely for up to 30 years.
Will my stem cells become unusable? What happens if they do?
Tissues/cells, which come to our center and are studied by doctoral level experts in line with validated production and quality control SOPs, are state-of-the-art, do not require constant liquid nitrogen dependency like conventional tanks, can be moved mobile in case of a possible fire or earthquake, and can be used on Earth. It is stored in cryogenic tanks, which are used in only 9 high-level tissue/cell banks (including the Canadian Tissue Bank), equipped with many warning systems such as instant temperature, alarm, remote alarm. Despite all these precautions, as in all systems where the human factor is involved, the possibility of stem cells becoming unusable is possible, although very low. If such a situation occurs;
According to the Cord Blood Banking Regulation, in case the cord blood or tissue becomes unusable due to other natural disasters or defects, excluding extraordinary situations such as war, and the medical need of the child or first-degree relative (mother, father and sibling) whose cord blood or cord blood has been stored arises. , our center accepts and undertakes to carry out all necessary procedures and cover the costs for the supply of suitable tissue from domestic and international sources.
Is there a possibility that my child’s cord blood or tissue will be mixed?
Every tissue/cell raw product coming to our center is coded with a specific and non-repetitive barcode system. This barcode system eliminates the possibility of confusion and ensures the confidentiality of personal data from the first moment. This barcoding system is used in all stages of raw product, intermediate product, final product and finished product, and inspections carried out by the Ministry of Health are carried out retrospectively according to this coding. In order to prevent the possibility of product mix-up and also the risk of cross-contamination, validated SOPs and integrated computerized systems, including minute-specific records, backups, control and approval steps, are used in our center. In addition, two separate encrypted access systems have been created to access the area where the cryogenic tank is stored, limited to authorized persons.
What kind of information is provided after the storage process?
After the production, storage and quality control analysis processes are completely completed, a “Cord Blood and Cord Tissue Banking Certificate” can be issued and sent to the address via e-mail or physically if the family wishes. In this certificate; It includes the barcode number specifically determined for the baby, tissue information processed and stored, amount of stem cells and vitality value. We also have a mobile application system where you can access all your baby’s information 24/7 by logging in with your baby’s barcode information.
