Netcells celebrates its 8th Birthday

In March Netcells turned 8 years old and we celebrated our birthday with the first baby whose stem cells we stored 8 years ago.

Netcells started operating in 2005 and Tannith Gafney was the first baby Netcells’ stored stem cells for! Tannith is now 8 years old and is in Grade 2 at Underberg Primary School (the family live in Underberg, a small farming town in the Southern Drakensberg in Kwa-Zulu Natal).

Tannith is a farm girl at heart and often talks about being a Horse Breeder or an Equine Vet when she is older. Horse riding is her favourite past time but she also loves modern dancing and tennis.

AABB renews Netcells’ International Accreditation

In July 2013, assessors from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) visited the Netcells Laboratory and spent 3 days doing an audit on our laboratory. Netcells is very pleased to announce that we passed our inspection and our accreditation has been renewed for another 2 years. The importance of this audit is that it assesses the quality and processing systems in place within Netcells, ensuring that correct, internationally accepted protocols are followed.

Netcells is the only stem cell bank on the African continent to have International Accreditation.

This gives assurance that all stem cells released by Netcells will be accepted by transplant centres across the world.

For more information click here.

Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant cures
Sickle Cell Anaemia

Marriam Carol Mulumba, a twelve year old girl, was born with a disease called Sickle Cell Anaemia. Carol was born with the severe type of Sickle Cell Anaemia and at the time her doctors said she would not live past the age of five. Carol was lucky as her parents stored both her younger brother and sisters cord blood at birth and when the time came for Carol to have a transplant they were both perfect matches! During the transplant, Carol received her brothers saved cord blood as well as some of his bone marrow. Carol is now 100% cured and her family have started a charity called Uganda-American Sickle Cell Rescue Fund (UASCRF) to educate people about sickle cell disease and its cure through use of cord blood and bone marrow transplant.

Click here to read more.

Cord Blood Clinical Trials happening abroad

Saneron CCEL Therapeutics and the University of South Florida have patented a method of converting umbilical cord blood cells into neural cells.

Their goal is to provide new therapies for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, as well as brain and spinal cord injuries.

Human umbilical cord blood provides a rich source of multipotent stem cells that have the ability to become different types of cells, including neural cells. Currently, Saneron are developing therapies for many different diseases such as the ones mentioned above. In addition, cells obtained from the umbilical cord blood could also potentially help repair damage from heart attacks and treat cardiovascular diseases.

Read more.

Netcells has launched a new educational DVD on umbilical cord stem cell banking.

Netcells hosts Lab Open Days for expectant Parents to come and visit the laboratory.

Photographs

Thank you to those of you that have sent us adorable photos of your little ones- if you go onto the Netcells website you can view all the photos.

Netcells babies- Andrew and Matthew Horwood born on 25th March 2013.

Request a Netcells Consultant to call you

If you are expecting or have a friend who is expecting and would like one of our Netcells Consultants to contact you or your friend – click here.

Competition

Like the Netcells facebook page before 30th September and stand a chance to win a R500 Baby City Gift Voucher.

Congratulations to Nicci Blumberg who ‘liked’ the Netcells facebook page and has won herself a R500 Baby City Gift Voucher. Nicci stored Kaia Jade’s stem cells with us in March 2013.