Celltree Launches Korea's First 'Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Stem Cell Storage' Service

On March 4, Medipost announced that its cord blood bank brand 'Celltree' will become the first in Korea to offer a 'storage service for stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue,' a valuable biological resource collected from umbilical cords containing a large number of stem cells.

Exterior view of Medipost headquarters in Pangyo. Medipost

'Umbilical cord tissue' is a biological resource that can be obtained from the umbilical cord, which connects the fetus and the placenta. In many overseas cord blood banks, both cord blood and cord tissue are stored together to prepare for the treatment of various diseases in the future.

The top five cord blood banks in the United States, where cord blood banking is most actively operated, offer both cord blood and cord tissue storage services. According to the company, at one of these banks, 6 out of every 10 cord blood storage customers store both cord blood and cord tissue simultaneously.

In Korea, expectations for the activation of stem cell-based therapies have risen recently due to the amendment of the 'Act on the Safety and Support of Advanced Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Biopharmaceuticals (Advanced Regenerative Medicine Act).' The industry believes that simultaneous storage of cord blood and cord tissue will increase the amount of stem cells secured, thereby expanding the scope of future clinical applications and increasing treatment opportunities.

A Medipost representative stated, "With the introduction of this cord tissue-derived stem cell storage service, we will do our best to help prospective parents in Korea prepare for a wider range of disease treatments in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.