Cord Blood Banking Market Leader Reports Continued Growth in Consumer Demand for New Technology

San Bruno, CA, Aug. 2 PRNewswire/--Cord Blood Registry (CBR), the world's largest newborn stem cell bank, reports marked growth amid encouraging discoveries in regenerative medicine.

Over the past 10 years, expectant families have been increasingly choosing to collect and preserve the unique stem cells contained in the remaining blood from the umbilical cord. Currently, stem cells can be used to treat over 75 serious illnesses such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and other life-threatening conditions. Medical studies demonstrate superior outcomes using newborn stem cells from a genetically related family member compared to using stem cells from an unrelated donor.

CBR reported record revenue and sales for the quarter ending June 30, 2006 and a compounded annual growth rate of 69% for the 24-month period ending June 30, 2006.

"We are pleased with the continued rapid growth rate for our services and increased market share," said Johnnie Domingue, EVP, COO, and CFO for CBR. "And we are confident that our efforts to educate the market are having a strong effect on increasing the awareness of the benefits of saving newborn stem cells."

To date, CBR has provided more newborn stem cell samples to clients for use in medical treatments than any other family cord blood bank. Three of the most recent CBR cases involved regenerative medicine and the use of newborn stem cells to treat brain injury.

"We believe that all of the families that have banked their newborns' stem cells with CBR will gain benefit from them one day," said Stephen Grant, EVP of Communications for CBR. "Our service, and the technology to save newborn stem cells, has already benefited dozens of our client families, and we are still so early in the realization of the potential."

About Cord Blood Registry
Cord Blood Registry (CBR) (r) is a registered trademark of Cbr Systems, Inc., the largest newborn stem cell processing and cryopreservation service for familial use in transplantation and regenerative medicine. Accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks, CBR preserves more than 400,000 newborn stem cell units from over 130,000 families throughout the world. CBR has released more than 40 client cord blood samples for use in transplant and regenerative medicine cases-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 research samples, available for the nearly 200 research programs worldwide that are focused on stem cell expansion and cell-based therapies.

Return to Press Releases