News
FDA Approves Stem Cell Treatment for Dogs and Horses
A New FDA-approved clinical trial at Cornell University Hospital for Animals is exploring how stem cells can treat various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions in both dogs and horses. The trial focuses on using stem cells to help heal tissue, reduce inflammation, and manage pain in conditions like osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, and hip and elbow dysplasia. The…
Saved by his own cord blood – 19 years later
When Xiao An was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia at age 18, his parents were grateful for a decision they’d made at his birth – storing his cord blood stem cells. The teenager had suddenly developed symptoms including ulcers and blood spots. Tests revealed he had aplastic anemia, a serious autoimmune condition where the body…
Picky eaters? Blame their genes
New research from King’s College London in collaboration with UCL and University of Leeds suggests that food fussiness is largely genetic. For parents struggling with picky eaters, this research offers some relief, confirming that genes play a bigger role than previously thought. Lead author of the study, Zeynep Nas said he hoped the findings may…
Cord blood hope for bowel disease
In a groundbreaking study researchers have demonstrated the potential of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (HUCB-MNCs) in treating ischemic bowel disease (ICBD). ICBD, a group of intestinal ischemia syndromes caused by reduced blood flow, has been notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. With mortality rates as high as 50-80% for acute cases, the need…
Cord blood hope for preemies
Cord blood stem cells may hold the key to preventing Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) – a major cause of irreversible blindness in preterm newborns. ROP results from abrupt alterations in oxygen levels impacting the retina’s development. Standard treatment involves transfusions of packed red blood cells from adult donors. However, this can lead to a rapid…
27 years and counting
A new study shows cord blood stem cell remain viable after 27 years of cryogenic storage. The research, conducted at the US based laboratory of the late cord blood pioneer Hal Broxmeyer, extends the facility’s previous findings on cord blood’s longevity, when tested at 5, 10, 15, and 23.5 years. See the study here. According…
‘The Business of Happily Ever Afters’ NZBusiness Mag
Many years into running my PR company, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I loved the clients, my team, and the media (mostly). But learning about cord blood banking set me on a new and unexpected path. Now, 20 years after I co-founded CordBank Aotearoa’s first – and still only – cord blood bank. –…
Stem cells for glaucoma treatment?
Stem cells for glaucoma treatment? As March is NZ Glaucoma Awareness Month, it’s timely to recognise that around 2% of New Zealanders over 40 years of age have glaucoma – a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. Now, stem cells are being investigated as a possible treatment. Read more about this research…
Cord blood hope for prem babies
Cord blood hope for prem babies A first-of-its-kind study is underway to see if cord blood cells are effective in preventing premature newborns from developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) which is relatively common in preterm infants. BPD is a breathing disorder in premature infants where the infants’ lungs become irritated and do not develop normally. It…
Could cord blood help treat long COVID?
Could cord blood help treat long COVID? While we have been focusing on the weather emergencies here in New Zealand, COVID-19 is still very much around and we are hearing constant reports about the debilitating condition known as long Covid. Now, a Californian cord blood regenerative therapeutics company is about to enter phase two of…
20 years of CordBank NZ
Happy birthday to us! 20 years of CordBank NZ 2022 is a special year for us at CordBank: our 20th anniversary. Our co-founder, Jenni Raynish, reflects on the road she travelled to establish and grow the only service licensed to process and store cord blood right here in New Zealand. “I first…
CordBank Celebrates 20 Years – Biz Today Interview
CordBank’s 20th Birthday – An Interview With Biz Today. Co-Founder and CEO Jenni Raynish joins Dominic Bowden on WellBeings, to celebrate CordBank’s 20th birthday. In this interview, Jenni reflects on why she co-founded CordBank here in New Zealand, the medical advancements of the last 20 years, and importantly why she wants all parents to know…
Preterm brain injury cord blood stem cell study
Preterm brain injury cord blood stem cell study A PhD student at Monash University in Melbourne has been awarded the 2021 European Society for Paediatric Research Young Investigator Start Up Grant of 10,000 Euro for research on cord blood stem cell treatment for newborns with brain injury. Dr Lindsay Zhou is investigating the use…
Stem cell therapy for MS patients
Stem cell therapy for MS patients Medical professionals are now using stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease which causes the body’s immune system to attack different parts of the patient’s central nervous system such as the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve. Currently there is no cure…
Dogs and kids – how they help
Dogs and kids – how they can help With a growing body of evidence that dogs can assist children, especially with issues like anxiety, scientists at Oregon State University have found that dogs do synchronise their behaviour with children in their familes, but not as much as they do with adults. The findings…
A baby’s remarkable cord blood gift to her grandfather
A baby’s remarkable cord blood gift to her grandfather Czech woman Lucie Pinova’s father was only 60 when he suffered a serious stroke in 2018. His life was saved but he was left with paralysis of the right side of his body and lost his…
Prepping for a home birth…
PREPPING FOR A HOME BIRTH… 38 weeks and we are feeling ready. I’m still working, but had my last client in the salon yesterday and starting to wind down which is really lovely. I’ve had a couple of people ask about what to prepare with planning to give birth at home so here…
Jazmyne van Gosliga: 6 weeks till our DD
6 weeks till our DD 🗓 I wanna chat about cord blood banking… It’s been super interesting the discourse around this topic in the last couple of days. I guess it’s like a lot of things with becoming a new parent or having another baby, you have to make the decision that is best…
Jazmyne van Gosliga: What 26 weeks looks like…
What 26 weeks looks like… This week we received our Cordbank kit – After sharing it on my story and receiving a few messages about it, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to share our experiences with CordBank. Since being pregnant with Saachi, I soon realized that the option of CordBank isn’t…
How Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family
How Maia’s cord blood changed her life and the lives of her family Maia Friedlander was the first NZ child to be successfully treated with her own cord blood after suffering brain damage at birth. Thankfully her parents, Jillian and Daniel, had this option because they had saved Maia’s cord blood stem cells with…
Keeping Shai’s memory alive
Keeping Shai’s memory alive Frances Verter gave up a career at NASA to dedicate her life to telling expectant parents about the importance of cord blood banking. When her daughter Shai was born, Frances did not know cord blood banking was an option and had no idea of how life-changing these stem cells could…
Saving Frances’ cord blood saved her life
Saving Frances’ cord blood saved her life This is a cord blood story that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational. When Frances Everall’s family banked her cord blood with CordBank in 2002, they never dreamed it would be needed so soon and so dramatically. But at four years old their daughter was diagnosed with a…
New cord blood trial for spinal injury
New cord blood trial for spinal injury A clinical trial, using cord blood, lithium and physical therapy to treat the most severe forms of spinal cord injury has been given the green light from the FDA. The experimental treatment does not cure paralysis but is the first to help people with complete chronic spinal…
CordBank stores your baby’s cord blood in Auckland, New Zealand
Behind the scenes at the CordBank lab CordBank stores your baby’s cord blood in Auckland, New Zealand. We’re licensed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and operate under the most stringent level of quality applied to cord blood banks globally. To maintain security, our lab is a closed site – which means we can’t…