Swiss Stem Cells Biotech is a Swiss company dedicated to the preservation of stem cells from blood and cord tissue. Stem cells from blood and cord tissue have enormous therapeutic potential. Preserving them means protecting your child and his or her family by providing them with a valuable resource for treating haematological, metabolic and immune diseases.
For years, we have been at the service of families to offer them a quality service that allows them to protect the health of their child and the whole family.
At Swiss Stem Cells Biotech, we have our own bank located in Vacallo, Ticino, where the entire blood stem cell and cord tissue storage process takes place.
In addition to having our own laboratory, which can be visited at any time by appointment, we are FACT-NetCord accredited, the specific accreditation for the storage of blood stem cells and cord tissue. This accreditation, which imposes strict controls by external inspectors, is the same as that required of public banks and allows you to use the stem cell sample in any transplant centre in the world.
Finally, we collaborate with the University Hospital of Bern in the context of so-called hybrid conservation. The samples processed by our laboratory are of such high quality that they are the only private samples made accessible to the Swiss public system and included in the donor registers.
We offer families the possibility to store stem cells from blood and/or cord tissue for a period of 25 years.
Once the storage period is over, families can decide to extend the storage period Once the retention period is over, families can decide to extend the retention period for a further 5 or 10 years.
What are stem cells? Stem cells are those cells that are able to turn into different types of cells in the human body; cells that we get from embryos can turn into all types of cells, whereas if we get them from umbilical cord blood and adult tissues they will only be able to give rise to certain types of cells. More information on stem cells
What are embryonic stem cells? Embryonic stem cells are cells present in the embryo only in the early stages of development and have as their main characteristic the possibility of being modified into any cell type in the human body.
What are adult stem cells? Adult stem cells are present in some of our organs and tissues. They are called multipotent stem cells and have the ability to generate a small number of cell types. Depending on their characteristics, they can be distinguished into different cell types or a single cell type.
Cord blood is a rich source of haematopoietic stem cells, cells that are also found in bone marrow. Cord blood stem cells are used to treat blood diseases, including oncological ones. Also found in the umbilical cord are mesenchymal stem cells, referred to as umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.
The umbilical cord, also known as the umbilical funiculus, is the channel, consisting of a vein and two arteries, which during the period of pregnancy enables the exchange of nutrients between mother and fetus (and also enables the elimination of catabolites from the fetus).
The preservation of umbilical cord stem cells is done by stannage (see cryopreservation) and can last up to 25 years. At the end of the standard storage period, the family or the owner of the sample, if over 18 years old, can decide to extend storage for a further 5 or 10 years. Discover our conservation services.
Stem cell storage refers to the process that takes place in the laboratory whereby the stem cells from the umbilical cord are stored at a temperature that is normally around -196 °C.
A biobank is a facility authorised to cryopreserve, process and deliver the collected stem cells, guaranteeing their suitability, quality, safety and traceability. SSCB has its own storage bank where it stores stem cell samples from blood and umbilical cord tissue. Learn more about our specialised umbilical cord stem cell bank
