Cryopreserved Hematopoietic Stem Cells Originated from a Human Umbilical Cord Blood
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Lately, cryopreserved hematopoieticstem cells have attracted
much attention in the field of regenerative medicine.
“Tsukuba Brains”, one of the leading private cord blood
banks in Japan, was established in October 2002 as a TLO (Technology Licensing Organization)
enterprise of the University of Tsukuba. |  |
Now, we can afford to provide human cord blood obtained
from healthy, Japanese newborns by written agreements for
research purposes.
The products are collected and cryopreserved at the time of delivery.
It contains the hematopoietic stem cells collected from umbilical cord blood by the HES method.
1. Single Donor Origin
One lot of umbilical cord blood is originated from
a single Japanese newborns, not a mixture of cells
from several newborns.
2. Cryopreservation
Umbilical cord blood is appropriately processed to prevent
damage during cryopreservation, and preserved at a temperature
of -196C in a storage tank containing liquid nitrogen.
3. Infectious Safety Tests
Tests of viral and bacterial infectious diseases
are routinly performed, and safety of all of the
specimens are guaranteed.
About Our Company
“Tsukuba Brains”, one of the leading private
umbilical cord blood banks in Japan, is committed to
provide the highest standard of the quality of freshly
collected human cord blood at the time of birth
within 24 hours of delivery.
It was established in October 2002 as a TLO (Technology Licensing Organization) enterprise of University of Tsukuba. It locates in the center of
Tsukuba Science City.
The missions of “Tsukuba Brains” are;
1) To provide top-quality cord blood hematopoietic
stem cell processing and long-term cryogenic
storage, and
2) To explore the efficient methods of ex vivo
expansion of hematopoietic stem cells from cord
bloods and placentas.
Preserved Hematopoietic Stem Cells
and Placenta
Umbilical cord blood collected by obstetricians at the
time of delivery at maternity hospitals are promptly
transported to our cord blood preservation center
“Well Square”, and processed immediately to separate stem cells.
Human placentas are also cryopreserved by written agreements.
“Well Square” is specially designed in collaboration
with a research group of cryogenics at University of
Tsukuba for the exclusive use to preserve cord blood
with the highest standards of cord blood banking. A
clean room to process cord blood is kept at a quite
clean level of “Class 1,000”. All the cord blood
processing procedures are operated within a clean
bench kept at “Class 100”. Several means of aseptic
handling of the cord blood, utmost clean environment
is secured. Tests of viral and infection diseases
testing, which follow, are routinely examined;
Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial culture
ELISA (HIV Antigen/Antibody)
CLIA (HBS Antigen/Antibody)
RIA (HCV Antibody/3rd generation assay)
CLEIA (HTLV-1 Antibody)
EIA (Cytomegalovirus IgM, IgG)
TPHA test for syphilis
RPR test for syphilis
Enzyme test (ALT (GPT))
In addition to procedures to prevent damage during
cryopreservation, appropriate processing needed for the
future use of regenerative clinical therapies are applied.
Umbilical cord blood is preserved at a temperature of
-196ﾟC in a storage tank containing liquid nitrogen.
These cord bloods are preserved semipermanently,
usually within 10 years, and will be transported to
medical facilities when the needs for the stem cell
transplantation arise at future time.
Ongoing Research Activities
Cord blood hematopoietic stem cells have been shown
to be capable of self-renewal and differentiation into
different types of cells including skin, bone, and
neural cells. Cord blood contains hematopoietic stem
cells in concentration 2-3 times higher than those of
bone marrow. Compared with the bone marrow
transplantation, cord blood can give rise to all the cell
types both in the blood and immune systems. For such
an application ex vivo expansion of cord blood is
crucial. To establish methods for safe and efficient
expansion of cord blood is in progress in collaboration
with Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute
Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba and
other research laboratories.
Medical Advisory Board
The shareholders and medical advisors of “Tsukuba
Brains” include physicians, biomedical engineers and
experts in cryogenics in Tsukuba Science City in
Japan. Medical advisory board includes six clinicians
and professors in major fields of clinical medicine and
tissue engineering.
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