Contract Laboratory Services
Provided by Community Blood Services

Our Laboratory
When you work with Community Blood Services, you can be assured that the umbilical cord bloods from your client’s newborn baby is being processed and stored at a world-renowned cord blood facility. Located on the northeast coast of the U.S., we are a fully accredited and licensed cord blood bank that has processed more than 20,000 cord blood units since first opening in 1996. At the helm of the cord blood collection movement since it began in the 1990s, Community Blood Services has provided cord blood stem cells for more than 50 transplants worldwide. Its state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot facility is equipped with the most advanced processing and storage technologies. And you can be assured your client’s cord blood unit will be kept at the correct temperature at all times thanks to our back-up generators and battery system.

As one of the few banks designated to process and store umbilical cord blood for both public and private use, Community Blood Services maintains high industry standards. Its rigorous quality control standards are assessed and confirmed by regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the AABB (formerly known as American Association of Blood Banks), and New York and New Jersey health offices. Community Blood Services is a member of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP); accredited by AABB and the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI); registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and licensed by both New Jersey and New York State.

Our Laboratory Expertise
A staff of highly experienced health professionals and technicians, working under the guidance and expertise of Community Blood Services Scientific/Medical Advisory Panel of industry leaders, physicians, researchers, and parent advocates, offers both technical skill and unparalleled leadership. This unique combination of talents ensures that our laboratory remains on the cutting-edge of new cord blood advances, while it guarantees the safety, integrity, and viability of your client’s baby’s cord blood unit.

Our Processing
Umbilical cord blood units can be received 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Following collection at time of delivery, your client’s baby’s cord blood unit is immediately shipped under highly controlled conditions to Community Blood Services’ cord blood laboratory. The cord blood’s stem cells are processed the same day your client’s unit is received in our laboratory. Samples are tested for cell viability, total nucleated cell count (TNC), sterility, infectious disease markers, number of stem cells, and blood type. All processing and testing is performed following rigorous quality assurance procedures.

Unlike many other cord blood banks, Community Blood Services uses an advanced automated system, the SEPAX Cell Processing System, which allows for a closed and sterile environment for separating the cord blood components and processing the stem cell unit. With SEPAX, there is rapid and precise stem cell extraction from the cord blood unit, without any manual intervention. The technology ensures that the volume and the quality of your baby’s stem cells are maximized and that they remain healthy and contamination-free.

SEPAX is the cord blood processing technology that has received 510K clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Our Freezing and Storage
Maintaining the viability and health of your client’s baby’s stem cells throughout processing requires careful lowering of the temperature prior to freezing and storage. Our laboratory’s state-of-the-art automated mixing and cooling device, Coolmix, offers a controlled freezing process that ensures the cell’s integrity and future viability. Once the stem cells are brought to the optimum temperature, they are placed in a storage cartridge and then into a storage tank. Units are kept in designated freezers in a specifically designated storage area separate from Community Blood Services’ public bank. Our laboratory’s sophisticated coding system offers easy and precise access to your client’s baby’s cord blood stem cells, should your family ever need them.

Our Reports
Detailed reports are provided throughout the processing and testing of your baby’s cord blood unit. These include a receipt report, a processing report and a final report that details all of the pertinent information regarding the stored unit.

Scientific/Medical Advisory Panel
Ronald Saldarini, PhD, Chairman: Pharmaceutical industry leader and consultant to industry, government and health care philanthropies, including the Institute of Medicine and the Malaria Vaccine Initiative; memberships include the Trustees for the National Foundation of Infectious Disease and the Corporate Council for the Children’s Health Fund

Maria Teresa Bitar, MD: Obstetrics/Gynecology, Family Practice, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, New Jersey; heads Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancer Screening Program

Margaret. Keller, PhD: Leading stem cell researcher and assistant professor, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Camden, New Jersey

The Reverend Joseph Kukura: President, Catholic Health Care Partnership of New Jersey; health care ethicist

Michael Lamacchia, MD: Chairman, Pediatrics, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, Paterson, New Jersey

Arnold Rubin, MD: World-renowned cancer researcher, professor of medicine, Cancer Institute of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey

David E. Sharp, MD, PhD: Medical Director, Community Blood Services

Frances Verter, PhD: Expert on umbilical cord blood banking and president, The Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, Inc.