CORDLIFE ONE CHANCE, ONE CHOICE

A consumer healthcare company continuing to serve the needs of mother and child.

CORDLIFE Philippines: One Chance, One Choice. The Cordlife team, led by brand manager, Ms. Jonelyn De Belen along with medical and brand experts were able elucidate the participants on the benefits of banking Cord blood. There is only one opportunity to collect and store the stem cells found in the cord blood and this is only during birth. 

Few years ago i get to know about Cordlife in an event in which I didn't actually understand much what is it all about but as i join their different talk (mostly for parents to be and or pregnant) i get to understand it better. That i get much more educated in knowing about it and i came to my senses that if I got pregnant on my first child I would definitely want to ensure my childs future health because will never know what the future holds for our childs health. It is indeed a good investment that money cant just buy because it concerns about health and it also includes the whole family.

I am Thankful that i get to understand it better during the Galactic Mission 7: A Star Wars inspired party for Bloggers & our families! I am Thankful as well to Ms. Marylaine who invited us.

Cordlife Philippines - Cord Blood Collection Process

Stem cells are at the forefront of one of the most fascinating and revolutionary areas of medicine today. Doctors recognize that stem cells have the potential to help treat numerous diseases by generating healthy new cells and tissue. A wide range of diseases is treatable with stem cells such as acute and chronic forms of leukemia and myeloproliferative disorders to name a few.

About Cord Blood

What are cord blood stem cells?

Cord blood, also called “placental blood”, is blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of a baby and after the umbilical cord is cut. During pregnancy, the umbilical cord functions as a lifeline between mother and child. After a baby’s delivery, the cord blood present in the umbilical cord could offer hope for the child or members of the family. 

Cord blood is a rich source of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are primarily responsible for replenishing blood and regenerating the immune system. They have the unique ability to differentiate into various cell types found in blood as depicted in the diagram below:

"My sister-in-law and I got pregnant almost at the same time. When I heared that she banked her baby's cord blood as a form of biological insurance, I knew that i had to do the same for my daughter, Scarlet. I learned that extracting cord blood is safe, pain-free and a quality source of stem cells that can be used to treat most dreaded diseases like blood and immunodeficiency disorders. When high statistics related to such illnesses and family history come into play, I know I made the right decision to protect my baby for life with cord blood banking." ~PIA GUANIO-MAGO / Model, Host & TV Personality

What Can Cord Blood Do?

Replace and regenerate damaged or diseased bone marrow.

Treatment for blood cancers.

Correct genetic defects (sibling/allogeneic transplantation).

Potential for cellular therapy and regenerative medicine.

"I never thought I'd be capable of so much love and sacrifice until I gave birth to my wonderful kids. I invested in my baby's cord blood and cord lining because I wanted to be sure that my baby is given the best investment I could ever give." ~NINA CORPUZ-RODRIGUEZ / Broadcaster Journalist

Diseases Treated with Stem Cells and its Potential Applications

Stem cells are at the forefront of one of the most fascinating and revolutionary areas of medicine today. Doctors recognize that stem cells have the potential to help treat numerous diseases by generating healthy new cells and tissue. 

As a parent, you want to protect your family. At your baby’s birth, you have the unique opportunity to safeguard the health of the ones you love by storing your newborn child’s cord blood stem cells. 

Stem cells in the blood of your baby’s umbilical cord have the potential to be used in the treatment of many diseases today. Stem cells could be used to treat haematopoietic and genetic disorders. In a cord blood transplant, stem cells are infused into a patient’s bloodstream where they go to work - healing and repairing damaged cells and tissue. With the successful engraftment of the stem cells, the patient’s blood and immune system are regenerated.

There are a wide range of diseases that are treatable with stem cells derived from cord blood and other sources of similar type of stem cells (Haematopoietic Stem Cell), like bone marrow and peripheral blood, including stem cell disorders, acute and chronic forms of leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, and many more.

In addition to the host of conditions that can now be treated, it is the potential of stem cell treatments that holds the most excitement as research continues to uncover new possibilities. The potential and efficacy of treating diseases with stem cells are real.

"Mark and I needed to make sure that we can continue to keep our baby safe once he's out of my womb. We also wanted to have more medical options readily available in case the disease that impacted our families - like cancer and diabetes, hit our child. We got our assuring answer from Cordlife - our steadfast partner in keeping our baby's stem cells. We knew that Cordlife meant serious business when they said that they'll partner with us in ensuring the safety of Pele's stem cells, through Cordlife Care360." ~JOLINA MAGDANGAL-ESCUETA / Versatile Actress, Entrepreneur & Wife of Mark Escueta

Diseases Treated with Stem Cells

The following is a list of some of the diseases that have been treated with cord blood and other sources of similar type of stem cells (Haematopoietic Stem Cell), like bone marrow and peripheral blood. Stem cell therapies continue to change and evolve quickly.

BLOOD CANCERS

• Acute Myelogenous Leukaemia
• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
• Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia
• Histiocytic Neoplasms
• Other Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
• Myelodysplastic syndrome
• Multiple Myeloma
• Plasma Cell Leukaemia
• Systemic Mastocytosis
• Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia

"This is one of the best decisions I have made in this second pregnancy of mine - to store my baby's cord blood and preserve the stem cells, which could save the life of my baby, his siblings, even us parents - if and when the need arises in the future." ~TINTIN BERSOLA-BABAO / Radio / TV Personality & Entrepreneur

SOLID TUMORS

• Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Langerhans' Cell Histiocytosis
• Neuroblastoma
• Retinoblastoma

NON-MALIGNANT BLOOD DISORDERS

• Aplastic Anaemia
• Chediak-Higashi Syndrome
• Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anaemia
• Diamond-Blackfan Syndrome
• DiGeorge Syndrome
• Evans Syndrome
• Fanconi's Anaemia
• Glanzmann'sThrombasthenia
• Gunther’s Disease (erythropoietic porphyria)
• Hereditary BM failure syndromes
• Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
• Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria
• Pure Red Cell Aplasia
• Sickle Cell Anaemia
• Thalassemia Major

"It took almost a decade before I got pregnant again not for anything but for soem personal reasons. I lost my sister because of leukemia at age 8. With this I made sure that my first born, Callie's health was always our top priority. That's why when I found out that Im pregnant again with Baby Alonzo, I really considered COrdlife to bank my baby's cord blood and cord lining. I was moved to bank when they explained to me that my baby's cord blood can be used nto only for my baby but for the whole family up to three generations through Cord blood network. I knew I needed to take this one chance to collect cord blood and secure the health of the two most precious thing in my life, Callie and Baby Alonzo." ~DIMPLES ROMANA / Actress, Model, Entepreneur and Mom

Dimples Romana and Dr. Anna Belen Alensuela on Cord Blood Banking

IMMUNODEFICIENCY DISORDERS

• Chronic Granulomatous Disease
• Common Variable Immunodeficiency
• Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia
• Reticular Dysgenesis
• Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID)
• Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome
• Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome

METABOLIC DISORDERS

• Adrenoleukodystrophy
• Gaucher's Disease
• Hurler Syndrome
• Hunter’s Syndrome
• Krabbe Disease
• Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
• Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome
• Metachromatic leukodystrophy
• Osteopetrosis
• Sly Syndrome, Beta-Glucuronidase Deficiency
• Wolman Disease

"My husband and I decided early on in my pregnancy that we wanted to do cord blood banking. We've heard a lot of positive things about it and felt that this is something that can benefit our son, Tristan, and even our family. Signing up for their service was quick and easy. Cordlife Philippines gave us all the information we needed to know, answered our questions regarding cord blood banking, and gave us the necessary documents and paper works to secure our slot. At the hospital on the day of Tristan's birth, we were required to bring our Cordlife Philippines blood and urine collection kits which were sent to our house early on. We gave these to my nurses to handed them to my OB-GYN int he delivery room. My OB took care of the whole thing-- I didn't even think about the collection until I was wheeled into the recovery room. That was how easy and non-invasive it was. The last thing you want when you're giving birth is to have one more thing to think about and I am happy that this wasn't one of them. I got a text a few hours after giving birth that a Cordlife Philippines representative had picked up the cord blood and it was immediately processed. At that point, I was glad it was all handled--no stress, no fuzz, no tiring back and forth with the company. It really was a positive experience for me with Cordlife Philippines, I have no doubts they will be able to deliver when the time comes that we need to use the cord blood." ~KELLY MISA-FERNANDEZ / Model, Host, Beauty Columnist, Blogger and Proud Mom to Tristan

The successful application of cord blood stem cells is dependent on the condition of each individual patient. Banking cord blood does not guarantee that the cells will provide a cure or be applicable in every situation. The eventual use of the cord blood can only be determined by the treating physician. Though some of the conditions listed here may be treated with the patient’s own cord blood (autologous cord blood), it may not be suitable to treat genetic diseases. In such cases, a matching cord blood from a sibling may be used. However, there is no guarantee that the cord blood will be a match for every family member or will provide a cure for every condition. Please consult your treating physician for further advice.

Clinical Trials

With the advancement of stem cell* research, the potential for future use of stem cell grows.

Below is a list of diseases currently under Clinical Trials. These are diseases for which stem cell* treatments appear to be beneficial, but have not been adopted as standard therapy. For some of these diseases, stem cell transplants only slow the progression of the disease, but do not produce a cure. For other diseases, stem cell treatments may help effect a cure, but further research is needed to determine the best candidate patients for stem cell therapy, the optimum stem cell dosage, the optimum method of cell delivery, etc. 

For some patients, clinical research trials represent an avenue for receiving promising new therapies that would not otherwise be available. Patients with difficult to treat or currently "incurable" diseases, such as AIDS or certain types of cancer, may want to pursue participation in clinical research trials if standard therapies are not effective. Clinical research trials are sometimes lifesaving.

• Autism
• Brain Tumor
• Cartilage Repair
• Cleft Palate Repair (Alveolar)
• Cerebral palsy
• Crohn’s disease
• Critical Limb Ischemia
• Diabetes Type 1
• Epidermolysis Bullosa
• Ewing Sarcoma
• Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD)
• Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
• Hearing Loss
• HIV
• Ischemic Stroke
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Myocardial Infarction
• Ovarian Cancer
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Spinal cord injury
• Scleroderma
• Testicular Tumour
• Experimental Treatments

These are randomised controlled trials conducted in a scientific laboratory involving in-vitro (test tube or cell culture) and in-vivo (animal) work.

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Congenital hydrocephalus
• Huntington's Disease
• Liver cirrhosis
• Parkinson's Disease
• Traumatic Brain Injury

"One of the best decisions we've made as parents-to-be was signing up with CORDLIFE before the arrival of our son, Theo. Like their slogan states "One chance, One choice"--timing is key when it comes to prepping for the future of your baby. There are no sure formulas when it coems to securing a healthy and happy future for your child, but it does help to be armed with the best possible safety net. CORDLIFE has years of experience, scientific research and medical data to back them up--making them the best and most trusted cord blood banking provider in the region. Thanks to CORDLIFE I now have peace of mind and can focus on caring for my son and enjoying every moment with him." ~PATTY LAUREL-FILART / Celebrity Mom, Lifestyle Blogger, Fashion Model, Wife to Patrick and Mother to Theo Oliver Filart

Why Save Cord Blood

Top 10 reasons why you should consider banking cord blood

1. 1 in 200 individuals1 may need a hematopoeitic stem cell (HSCs) transplant by the age of 70.
2. 60% higher chance2 of match versus bone marrow in a family.
3. Research showed that patients have a lower chance of complications in transplants when they receive stem cells from a relative3.
4. Some of the most common cancers, such as leukaemia and lymphoma, are treatable with stem cell transplant. In the Philippines, leukaemia is one of the top 10 cancers for both men and women; and for men, lymphoma is also in the top 104. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) is the most common type of leukaemia in children, with 79% of childhood ALL occurring between the ages 1-9 years4.
5. A guaranteed match for autologous transplants (where the donor and recipient are the same individual).
6. A readily available supply of stored hematopoeitic stem cells. This compares well to having to do a national or international search which is costly and time-consuming in an already time critical situation.
7. Lower risk of Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD) for allogeneic transplants, a situation where the transplanted tissue attacks the patient’s own tissue.
8. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are younger, have a higher rate of engraftment and are more tolerant to tissue mismatches, compared to other types of stem cells, e.g. bone marrow.
9. Ease of collection, which is pain-free and risk-free to both mother and child.
10. It is once-in-a-lifetime chance to collect cord blood – a readily available source when needed in the future.

"As first time parents, Marco and I had no idea what to expect when we get to finally meet the little man destined to complete our family - baby Noah. We actively tried to develop our parenting IQ, from how to change a diaper to the many diseases that could threaten my baby's future. I still remember my sense of relief having found that we could provide him biological protection through stem cell banking. With only one chance to collect, I knew we have to choose only the best stem cell bank to safekeep Noah's stem cells. That's why I choose Cordlife. Nothing feels better than being able to store my baby's umbilical cord blood with the largest and most experienced network of cord blood banks in South East Asia." ~PRECIOUS LARA QUIGAMAN-ALCARAZ / Miss International 2005 and TV Personality

Lara Quigaman choose Cordlife

How is Cord Blood collected by your OBGYN

Safe and painless for you and your baby

Whether you have a natural birth or a C-section, the process of collecting your newborn baby’s stem cells is safe, painless and non-disruptive to your birth plan. 

After your baby is born, the umbilical cord is clamped and cut by your OBGYN (obstetrician / gynaecologist). That is when a needle is inserted into the umbilical cord to collect the remaining blood which would otherwise be discarded as medical waste. 

Our collection bags - AABB approved and heparin-free - are sterile for both C-section and vaginal births and are simple for your doctor to use. If you also decide to collect the umbilical cord lining, the umbilical cord is cleaned, a segment is placed into the provided collection jar, and it is sent back to our lab with the cord blood bag. 

Once collection is done, your OBGYN or midwife will seal the bag, attach the pre-printed labels with your information and place it in the Cordlife collection kit. 

Please note that the final decision of whether the cord blood collection should take place will always reside with your caregiver whose first priority is the safety of you and your baby.

From your delivery room, to our lab.

After you have notified us of your delivery and reviewed the kit’s contents and pre-printed labels, a medical courier will pick up the collection kit from your hospital room and deliver it to the Cordlife processing and storage laboratory. We will notify you as soon as your kit arrives at our laboratory.

"I've come to terms to the fact that many things can happen to Cooper in the future, both good and bad like getting seriously ill. I want to make sure that I've done my part in guaranteeing that Cooper has the best way to cope. And since there are so many advances in cord blood banking and the service is already made available and affordable here in the Philippines through Cordlife, I just had to get it for both my children." ~DELAMAR ARIAS / Radio Personality The Morning Rush RX93.1

Delamar Arias’ Pregnancy Milestones and Memories

How is Cord Blood Processed and Stored

Stem cell isolation is a critical step in cord blood banking. It affects the number of stem cells that can be harvested or recovered from the cord blood. Cell recovery rates are critical because a higher number of stem cells could enhance the success of the transplant or treatment. That's why Cordlife has invested in the Sepax 2 automated stem cell processing technology, a safe, sterile and fully automated cord blood processing technology – so you get more stem cells for maximum transplant success.

The first and only private cord blood bank in the Philippines that offers the Sepax 2 automated processing technology, this Swiss-made and U.S. FDA-cleared device can recover as high as 99.46%1 of Total Nucleated Cells (TNC) from cord blood; up to 57%2 cell count higher than other processing methods. It is also a functionally closed processing system which ensures the sterility of the cord blood by eliminating exposure to air contaminants.

"Having COrdlife makes me secure with my family's future. It's worth the investment." ~ANDI MANZANO / Radio Personality Andi-9 Magic 89.9

Cordlife uses the U.S. FDA approved cryogenic storage pouch. This multi-compartmentalised cryobag has 20% and 80% compartments. This cryobag also has 2 integrally attached segments which are in compliance with AABB and FACT-Netcord standards. This dual compartment addresses the stem cell expansion programmes in future. That means that when this stem cell expansion technology is commercially viable, you can withdraw 80% of the stem cells for immediate use /treatment while continuing to store the 20% balance for later expansion.

The integral segments also provide the safety and assurance that additional product testing is performed on the associated unit thereby eliminating testing and cord blood unit mix ups. This is to allow for additional testing of the sample should it be required in the future, or for viability testing prior to a transplant. This storage pouch is made of a special material designed specifically to withstand cryogenic temperatures.

Cordlife's FDA approved dual compartmental storage pouch with integrated segments (before detachment)

Why divide your child's precious stem cells into two cryo bags, in two locations and double your risk?

Given that the cell dose is an important predictor of successful transplant outcomes, such 'split CB units' might place their potential recipients at a disadvantage and their application, therefore, unlikely, unless successful stem cell expansion becomes practical in this setting.1

Your baby’s cord blood is stored in vacuum insulated cryogenic storage tanks, and are designed to remain at optimal cryogenic temperature of below -150°C for cell storage over long periods.

Cordlife uses MVE Anti-contamination Vapour-phase Liquid Nitrogen Storage System for long-term stem cell cryopreservation. 

Vapour-phase storage is preferred over liquid-phase storage as it eliminates the chance of cross contamination between cord blood units as compared with those stored in liquid nitrogen. 

The MVE Anti-contamination Vapour-phase Liquid Nitrogen Storage System operates perfectly, even without electrical supply, and is 100% reliable and failsafe with no chance of robotic malfunction. Unlike other storage systems available in the market today, our tanks have never been recalled by the U.S. FDA or the manufacturer. 

Over 99% of private cord blood banks also use only vapour-phase freezers. Presently, the majority of stem cell transplantations used cord blood units stored in vapour freezers.

"My husband and I wanted to secure our son's future medical needs as early as possible. We found the best opportunity by storing Giddy's umbilical cord blood and lining. To know more about banking your newborn's cord blood and lining, and how your family will benefit from it, visit their website: www.cordlife.ph" ~JURIS FERNANDEZ / Singer, Songwriter, Lead singer of acoustic group - MYMP from 2003-2009, Proud wife to Gavin Lim and Loving Mom to Giddy

Saving Precious Stem Cells for your Family as you prepare for the arrival of your baby, one of the first and most important decisions you may need to make is choosing to save your baby's cord blood.

Today, diseases including certain cancers and blood disorders may eb treated with hematopoietic stem cells that can be found in cord blood. Arecent study reported that as many as 1 in 217 individuals may need a stem cell transplant in their lifetime.

That is why saving your baby's cord blood could be a lifesaving decision for your little one and your family. Find out more about cord blood banking with Cordlife today.

Future application of cord blood stem cells

The list of stem cell treatable diseases continues to grow at a rapid pace. With the potential to become different cell types, scientists are exploring the possibility of using cord blood stem cells to treat some of the most common life-threatening diseases such as heard diseases and stroke. Thus saving your baby’s cord blood now can ensure your child's access to his/her own stem cells for such cellular therapy in the future.

Current most commonly researched treatments:

Repair nerve cells:

to heal brain and spinal cord injuries or brain damage caused by stroke

Regenerate cells to form new blood vessels: 

to treat heart and circulatory disease

Replace damaged cells: 

to improve recovery from cardiovascular diseases, a heart attack, or injury

Regenerate brain cells: 

to treat brain injury, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease

"It was the most incredible feeling the moment when Jojo and I found out I'm pregnant with Baby Crixus. My mother instinct kicks in and we study all the possible things that can protect our little one. We attend Expos and Baby Fair, then came Cordlife. It was one of the best mommy moves I've done when we availed cord blood and cord lining banking because it's the ultimate gift for our son - a protection from dreaded diseases. Thank You Cordlife for this wonderful innovation." ~CIARA SOTTO-OCONER / Versatile Actress, Singer, Pole Dancer/Instructor and Proud Mom to Baby Crixus

Cordlife collects, processes and stores cord blood stem cells which may later become potential source material for lifesaving treatment. They provide families with high quality cord blood processing and storage services to protect their children's cord blood stem cells.

Thier facilities are built in line with world-class standards such as American Association of Blood Banks, Therapeutic Goods Administration, and ISO. 

Since their inception in Singapore in 2001, they have established a rigorous quality system and track record of clinically reliable cord blood banking service that was first certified by Singapore's Ministry of Health, and subsequently accredited in 2005 by the world's most recognized quality standards in cord blood banking - American Association of Blood Banks.

Cordlife Medical Philippines, Inc. is registered with the 
Department of Health in the Philippines.

How Much does it cost?

Convenient Payment Modes

They offer different payment plans you can choose from to fit your family's budget.

With the 0%-interest 12 months' instalments, the one-time upfront payment is as low as Php 7,560 per month (for 12 -month-installment scheme for 5-year plan). Afterwards, annual fee to maintain the storage of the baby's stem cells is fixed at Php 8,000* per year. 

✓ BPI

✓ BDO

✓ Metrobank

With the 0%-interest 12 months' instalments, the one-time upfront payment is as low as Php2,115 per month (for 18 months). From the child's 1st birthday onwards, the fee to maintain the storage of the baby's stem cells is Php8,000* per year.

*Terms and conditions apply. Cordlife reserves the right to amend the price plans without prior notice.

Cordlife alone offers expert cord blood banking services and as a group, has released a total of 35 cord blood units to date.

*Photo credits to Cordlife Philippines

Cordlife Medical Philippines
Corporate Office and Storage Facility
Unit 104 Bldg.  H UP-AyalaLand TechnoHub, 
Commonwealth Ave., Brgy. UP Campus,
Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines

Satellite Office
Room 216, Medical Arts Building 
St. Luke's Medical Center
279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Bldg.

Quezon City 1112

For more information visit Cordlife's social media accounts:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/CordLifePhilippines/?fref=ts

Website: http://www.cordlife.ph/