Comparison of Top U.S. Cord Blood Banks – CBR, ViaCord, & Cryo-Cell

Top 3 Largest U.S. Cord Blood Banks by Units Banked

The three cord blood bank companies considered in this analysis are Cord Blood Registry (San Bruno, CA), ViaCord (Waltham, MA), and Cryo-Cell (Oldsmar, FL). These three companies are not only the three market leaders in the United States by the number of cord blood and cord tissue units banked but are also some of the largest cord blood banks worldwide.

1. Cord Blood Registry | CBR Cord Blood Registry

The Cord Blood Registry or CBR is unique because it is currently the world’s largest cord blood bank, with over a half million cord blood and cord tissue units stored to date. This is substantially more than its nearest competitor, ViaCord, which has 350,000 units stored. It was acquired by pharmaceutical giant, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, for $700 million in June 2015.

The company’s mission is “to support the advancement of newborn stem cell research, with the hope that the investment you are making now will be valuable to your family in the future.” They provide a high-quality system for the preservation of stem cells and its long-term storage. They created this system to protect the resources that can be beneficial to future medical uses of families who banked in them.

2. ViaCord Cord Blood Banking

Viacord stands out in the marketplace because it became a part of PerkinElmer, a global company with $2.2 billion dollars in annual revenue, since October of 2006. Currently, ViaCord has released the most cord blood units for medical transplant and has the highest survival rate for cord blood transplant among companies that have shared complete transplant data. The one-year survival rate for patients who were treated with the company’s cord blood units is 88%, and the long-term patient survival rate is 82%.¹

The company’s approach is simple. They apply advanced science to provide their customers a high-quality collection of stem cells and storage procedure. Aside from umbilical cord tissue and cord blood banking, they also offer genomic testing, a diagnostic DNA testing to determine any health issues or disorders before symptoms appear. This procedure also helps families make better decisions in dealing with life-threatening diseases.

3. Cryo-Cell International Cord Blood Banking

In 1989, Cryo-Cell International was founded in Oldsmar, FL, making it the oldest cord blood bank in the world. In 1992, it began to store cord blood. In addition to pursuing a wide variety of accreditations (AABB, cGMP, and ISO 1345), it was the first private cord blood bank in the U.S. to be awarded FACT accreditation. In 2017, it initiated a $100,000 Engraftment Guarantee (previously $75,000), the highest quality guarantee of any U.S. cord blood bank. It is the only private bank in the U.S. to offer the PrepaCyte-CB cord blood banking technology, a system that leads the industry in engraftment times.

The company also offers two processing methods to their clients: the premium industry and standard, which they promise clients a return on investment. They don’t require an enrollment fee as well unless the child is born and the cord blood and cord tissue have been stored and processed. Cryo-Cell gives a referral reward of one-year free storage to existing customers who have friends or family members who will bank in them.