STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Introduces MethoCult(R) Express For Cord Blood Banks And Transplant Centers

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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STEMCELL Technologies Inc. (STEMCELL), a Vancouver-based life sciences company, announces the launch of MethoCult® Express, an innovative methylcellulose-based medium specifically formulated to allow enumeration of total colony-forming cells after only 7 days of culture. With this new medium, reliable information on hematopoietic progenitor cell numbers in cord blood can be obtained much earlier than with standard 14-day assays.

"Assessment of the stem and progenitor cell content of cord blood units is a critical, time-sensitive step for cord blood banks and transplant centers," says Bert Wognum, Senior Scientist at STEMCELL Technologies. "Performing CFC-assays in MethoCult® Express allows faster, easier and more standardized assessment of progenitor numbers than 14-day assays. Obtaining accurate CFC-assay results in as early as 7 days may be very helpful for cord blood banks and transplant centers because the need to assess the progenitor cell content and quality of cord blood units during processing and cryopreservation may assist in selecting the most suitable graft for transplantation." With MethoCult® Express, cultures can also be maintained for a total of 14 - 16 days to permit identification of different colony types on the basis of morphological criteria similar to standard CFC-assays.

For more information about MethoCult® Express, visit here.

Source
STEMCELL Technologies