Cord Blood Registry® Advances Leadership Position in Growing Family Cord Blood Banking Industry

SAN BRUNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cord Blood Registry® (CBR), the world's leading, privately-held, umbilical cord blood stem cell bank, today stated it will exceed $100 million in revenues before the end of 2007. CBR will be the first in the industry to reach this milestone.

CBR's enrollments and revenue have increased every year since inception and the company has generated positive cash flow from operations since 1999. In addition, the company continues to grow its market share position, which is currently more than 40 percent higher than the nearest competitor.

CBR chief executive officer Tom Moore credits the company's financial performance on the key strategic investments and persistent focus on quality of operations that deliver the best possible product and customer experience.

"This is a time of unprecedented demand for umbilical cord blood banking," said Moore. "By staying focused on investments in research and technology that can deliver the best stem cell recovery, CBR has established a financial leadership position in the industry, published industry-leading processing data and provided more cord blood units for transplant than others in the family banking industry."

According to Moore, the family cord blood banking industry has experienced rapid growth due to several factors: strong scientific evidence supporting therapeutic use of stem cells in more than 70 diseases; a growing number of successful cord blood transplants; increased focus on research in regenerative therapies using cord blood stem cells; and legislation at the state and federal level that encourages or requires that pregnant women receive fair and balanced education on the value of cord blood stem cells.

To meet the demands of a rapidly growing market and to ensure best-in-class processing, CBR partnered with GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) and Thermogenesis (NASDAQ:KOOL) to implement a new automation technology for cell processing, called the AXP AutoXpress™ Platform (AXP™). This technology will enable CBR to increase its cell processing capacity and at the same time maintain or exceed its industry-leading cell recovery rates. CBR is the first and only family cord blood bank that can offer this cutting-edge technology to expectant parents who wish to cryopreserve the genetically-unique stem cells of their newborns for future therapeutic use.

CBR has also added 40 additional field-based representatives in the U.S. market. These representatives will be instrumental in supporting physicians with information and education, especially in states that have passed legislation on cord blood banking.

Since the FDA first established standards for family banking in 1998, there has been ongoing support from the federal government. In 2005, the Institute of Medicine issued a recommendation to provide expectant parents a balanced perspective on their cord blood banking options. Many states are now following the federal government's recognition of the importance of patient education prior to the third trimester.

Finally, to ensure its operations are fully aligned with established laws, regulatory guidelines and marketing standards, CBR launched in 2006 Principles in Action®^SM, a formal commitment to actively lead healthcare compliance in the emerging umbilical cord blood banking industry. CBR is the first family bank to publicly make a commitment to this ethical standard.

Today, cord blood stem cells are used successfully to treat a wide range of blood diseases, genetic and metabolic disorders, immunodeficiencies and certain forms of cancer. Stem cell transplants from genetically-related sources (family members) result in better survival rates, lower incidence of rejection and less dependence on ongoing medication.

"Expectant parents have only one chance to collect and preserve their newborn's cord blood stem cells. CBR client families can be confident that their biologically-unique stem cells will be available and viable if they're ever needed in the future," said Moore. "Our business model is well-established and is raising the standard for the industry."

About Cord Blood Registry
Cord Blood Registry (CBR) is a registered trademark of Cbr Systems, Inc., the largest cord blood stem cell processing and cryopreservation service for familial use in transplantation and regenerative medicine. Accredited by AABB, Cord Blood Registry preserves cord blood stem cells for more than 160,000 newborns throughout the world. CBR has released more than 45 client cord blood samples for specific therapeutic use, more than any other family cord blood bank. The company's research and development is focused on advancing the collection, processing, and storage methods to optimize quality and cell yield. Additionally, CBR facilitates collection of donated samples, available for research programs worldwide that are focused on stem cell expansion and other cell-based therapies. For more information about CBR, visit www.cordblood.com.

ThermoGenesis©,Autoxpress™ , and AXP™ are registered trademarks of ThermoGenisis Corp., Sepax is a registered trademark of Biosafe SA. Viacord is a registered trademark of ViaCell,Inc

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