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"...scientists can develop new therapies to tackle brain and spinal cord repair, Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's"
Tony Blair - British Ex-Prime Minister
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Are you a private company?
Yes
How long have you been banking blood, and how old is your company?
We have been incorporated since July 2000, and have been banking since March 2001, under the name of Cryo-Care (UK) Ltd.
We have recently changed our name to Smart Cells International. Everything for the client remains the same.
How many samples have you stored to date?
To date (August '05) we have stored around 5000 samples.
How many successful transplants have you been involved with?
To date (August '05) we have been involved with two successful transplants. One in The Netherlands and one in Israel - both samples came from Life Sciences Group.
Bio Vault has not been involved with any transplants to date. However, the machinery, technique and the technology that they use is more efficient and more up to date than Life Sciences Group. Therefore, we are confident that the samples we process and store will be usable in the future.
Are you doctors or are you affiliated with doctors?
We are not doctors, but we do have a medical director and a medical advisory board. You can find more information about them on our website. Most of our other locations have at least one doctor on staff.
Are you affiliated with a hospital or research lab?
No
What are the costs?
The cost is Lm850. That breaks down to an initial payment of Lm100 and Lm750 is invoiced after successful storage. The full service fee is all-inclusive of the kit, the couriers, all blood processing, maternal blood tests, and 25 years of storage.
Do you issue a report after freezing the sample?
We routinely issue a certificate of storage, with the lab's contact details and storage details. If exact number of cells is asked for, we can provide a report as such.
What guarantees do you have against your company going into bankruptcy and our family losing our cells?
Our partner lab, Bio Vault is supported by private investment as well as publicly available government grants/loans.
Plans are also underway to store your sample in more than one location, thereby allowing us to offer additional storage.
What measures of security are taken to ensure security of the samples?
The laboratory is a highly secure facility with restricted and limited access.
Each client has a client ID which is generated the day a kit is ordered. When the lab received the blood, a sample ID is created, and each storage bag has an individual bar code. All these numbers relate to the client and the sample and are cross checked at every stage of the process.
How do you ensure client confidentiality?
We feel that customer service and client confidentiality is the most important part of our service.
You will always be contacted before any information is given to anyone. Smart Cells International complies with the data protection act.
What will you do with the cells as the years go by?
Nothing. We store your baby's cells for his/her future use and that's it. The sample remains your property until your child is of legal age, at which point the sample is his/her property.
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