Our cord blood processing is managed by a custom-designed electronic database, which each processing biological safety cabinet is equipped with.  This unique system enables scanning at each step during processing and transferring cells, and it warns processing technologists by an audible voice system if an error occurs at any step during processing. Therefore, human error is avoided by this system; the only one of its kind in Canada. All cord blood is processed under the strictest sterile conditions in a closed system.

In order to avoid unnecessary cell injury during the transfer of cryopreserved cord blood samples to a liquid nitrogen storage freezer, we have designed the zero-distance transferring system, in which a controlled-rate freezing machine is located just next to a liquid nitrogen storage freezer. Therefore, the temperature does not have a chance to warm up during the transfer of samples after cord blood stem cells are cryopreserved using a controlled-rate freezing machine.  

Progenics stores cryopreserved cord blood in a secure facility for long-term storage. All storage freezers are located in a fire-proof environment and are connected to a liquid nitrogen pipe-in system to ensure a consistent supply of liquid nitrogen, which maintains the temperature in the freezers low enough for long-term storage of cord blood stem cells. The facility is equipped with a power back-up generator and is monitored 24 hours.

We use a unique enhanced processing procedure developed by Dr. H. Yang to maximize the extraction of cord blood stem cells from each sample.   Saving more cells increases the chance of a sample being selected for transplant and increases the success of a transplant.