Cordlife Launches Newly Upgraded Stem Cell Facility for Filipino families

I attended an event launch held at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas last Nov. 18, 2014 that was hosted by popular DJ Delamar Arias. Cordlife Medical Philippines Inc(“Cordlife” or the “Company”), a fully owned subsidiary of Cordlife Group Limited, a Singapore Exchange mainboard listed consumer healthcare company catering to the mother and child segment, announced the opening of their newly upgraded stem cell processing and cryopreservation facility at UP-Ayalaland Technohub, Quezon City.

Celebrity moms, actress and beauty queen Lara Quigaman and reporter/journalist Niña Corpuz graced the event. Delamar, Lara and Nina all shared their personal experiences of being Cordlife moms themselves.

Also in attendance to underscore Cordlife’s commitment to Filipino parents and their children were Cordlife Group CEO Jeremy Yee, Cordlife Philippines Medical Director Dr. Arvin Faundo, and Cordlife Philippines Director Michael Arnonobal.

The facility is designed with cryogenic storage capacity for as many as 30,000 cord blood/cord lining units. This expansion came less than 5 years from the opening of its facility in the country and was mainly driven by the growing number of parents who recognize the value of banking their baby’s stem cells in the country.

The event highlighted the five essentials of mother and child that Cordlife addresses through services. These essentials are security, expertise, investment, bond, and value for life.

With the newly upgraded stem cell facility that can accommodate up to 30,000 cord blood and cord lining units, more parents can enjoy a sense of security when they bank their baby’s stem cells at Cordlife’s state-of-the-art processing and cryopreservation laboratory.

Parents who banked with Cordlife can have peace of mind knowing that their baby’s stem cells are kept in a highly secure laboratory that was built to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude 8, and ward off fire with its fire-retardant walls. Furthermore, the vapour-phased liquid nitrogen cryogenic tanks used to preserve the cord blood and cord lining samples are not dependent on electricity, making them 100% safe and reliable in case of power outages.

Cordlife’s expertise in the stem cell banking arena, is proven not only by being the largest network of cord blood banks in Asia, but also the number of cord blood releases for stem cell transplant and their adherence to the stringent global standards of AABB (formerly known as American Association of Blood Banks). Cordlife Philippines is also the country’s first and only ISO 9001:2008 and Department of Health-registered cord blood and cord lining bank.

“With over 13 years of experience in the industry and as a mainboard-listed healthcare company on the Singapore Exchange, we are in the position to provide long-haul high quality stem cell banking service to parents in the Philippines,” says Jeremy Yee.  

In addition to cord blood banking, Cordlife Philippines also offers cord tissue banking service, launched last year. “While cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells used to treat blood disorders, cord tissue is  a rich source of mesenchymal and epithelial stem cells, both of which are now under extensive clinical study for regenerative medicine and a host of other applications such as stroke, myocardial infarction and diabetes treatment,” according to Dr. Arvin Faundo. “Stem cell therapy is indeed one of the brightest spots in the future of medicine, and families can start investing on this future today with Cordlife,” he adds.

Cordlife emphasized once more their commitment to provide more value for life by being a steadfast partner to parents who wish to bank their baby’s stem cells because of their proven ability to treat Leukemia, Thallasemia and other types of cancers2. “I actively tried to develop our parenting IQ, from how to change a diaper to knowing the many diseases that could threaten my baby’s future. I still remember the sense of relief having found out that we could provide him biological insurance through stem cell banking,” saying Lara Quigaman.

By storing the blood and lining of their baby’s umbilical cord, the first connection between mom and child, Cordlife helps preserve this precious bond. Partnerships are forged with trusted hospitals and research institutes like Duke Medicine research, adding more value to this special mother and child bond.

All these essentials are available to parents as a practical investment for their child’s health. “To help the most number of Filipino families access this important service, Cordlife offers cord blood/cord lining banking for as low as P8,000 per year, and offers flexible payment schemes that are within reach of most families,” says Michael Arnonobal.



How about you? Are you willing to try cord blood/cord lining banking for your baby? Let me know in the comments below.