Stem cell bank for The Baby Expo

"The first year we exhibited visitors to our stand wanted to find out just what we were about, but now with more educational material being given to pregnant women at ante-natal classes and clinics, they're more interested in how to go about it and which company to choose," says Laurika van der Walt, Marketing and Communications for Netcells Cryogenics.

So what exactly is it about? Simply put, the procedure is to collect blood from the umbilical cord and placenta at birth which is sent to a special laboratory where the stem cells are extracted, tested, processed and cryogenically stored. Should the baby or a close family member contract a life threatening disease the stem cells could possibly be used in the treatment of the disease.

"It's very difficult to 'market' a product such as this. There are ethics involved," explains Dr Yvonne Holt, Medical Director of Netcells Cryogenics. "By being able to speak to people for five to ten minutes it gives us time to really explain what stem cells are all about. The amount of people using our service has quadrupled since we started exhibiting at The Baby Expo. It's not a cheap procedure but people are starting to look at it the same way they do at insurance," she adds.

For more information on Netcells Cryogenics or The Baby Expo contact:

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Telephone: 011 704 6695