Cordlife Medical Philippines Inc. (Cordlife), a fully owned subsidiary of Cordlife Group Ltd., a Singapore Exchange mainboard-listed consumer healthcare company catering to the mother and child segment, recently opened its newly upgraded stem cell processing and cryopreservation facility at UP-Ayalaland Technohub in Quezon City.
This expansion came less than five 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 here their baby’s stem cells.
The event launch held at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas was hosted by popular DJ Delamar Arias and graced by celebrity moms, actress and beauty queen Lara Quigaman and journalist Niña Corpuz. Delamar, Lara and Niña 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 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.
Peace of mind
Those 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 vapor-phased liquid nitrogen cryogenic tanks used to preserve the cord blood and cord lining samples are not dependent on electricity, making them 100-percent 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,” said Yee.
Cord tissue banking
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,” Faundo said.
“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 added.
Cordlife emphasized once more its 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 cancers.
Parenting IQ
Quigaman said: “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.”
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 not only blood/cord lining banking for as low as P8,000 per year but also flexible payment schemes that are within reach of most families,” Arnonobal said.