Cryo-Cell International

Cryo-Cell International

INTERNET: www.cryo-cell.com

PHONE: 800-STOR-CELL

OFFICE: Oldsmar FL, near Tampa

STORAGE: Oldsmar FL, near Tampa

Accreditation: AABB, NJ, NY

COMMENT: Cryo-Cell is one of the original private Cord Blood banks and has been a publicly traded company since 1991: Nasdaq OTCBB symbol CCEL. Cryo-Cell has partnerships with biotech companies researching Cord Blood applications.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS:

  • First transplant press release and anniversary.
  • List of Cryo-Cell transplants
  • As of 25 April 2005, Cryo-Cell processes Cord Blood by Hespan sedimentation, and long term storage is in compartmented bags. All storage is in their Oldsmar lab, which is compliant with FDA cGTP standards.
  • In addition to AABB Accreditation, the CryoCell is also certified by ISO 9001:2000.
  • Since 6Dec2005, Cryo-Cell offers the following service plan terms:
  • CRYO-CELL Client for Life(TM) Program - New and returning clients can lock in current prices for any future children: $1295 processing fee and $100 annual storage fee.
  • No enrollment fees. Clients owe nothing until cord blood is received, processed, and stored.
  • Personal courier service is included in the processing fee (US and Puerto Rico only).
  • Payment plans: Cryo-Cell offers 6- and 12-month interest free payment plans and a 60-month financing plan to qualified clients.
  • Reimbursement of $175 for cord blood collection fees.
  • Customer support staffed by nurses 24/7.
  • CRYO-CELL Cares(TM) Payment - In conjunction with a transplant of CRYO-CELL-banked cells, the Company will pay clients $10,000 to ease the family financial hardship of undergoing transplant.
  • CRYO-CELL Payment Guarantee(TM) - In the event that a client’s cord blood, which was processed and stored by the Company, is used for transplant and fails to engraft, CRYO-CELL will pay the client $50,000.
  • Through an exclusive agreement with Upromise®, Cryo-Cell will contribute 2% of its clients’ cord blood payments towards their Upromise® account for college education.

ADDITIONAL information: Publicly traded since 1991, Cryo-Cell business operations have been a matter of public record and were frequently written up in Florida Newspapers.

  • Cryo-Cell was originally affiliated with the University of Arizona and Dr. David Harris, the founder of Cord Blood Registry. In 1998 Cryo-Cell won $1.17 million dollars in a breach of contract lawsuit against those parties.
  • Cryo-Cell went on to become the industry leader in providing economical cord blood storage.
  • In 2002 and 2003, Cryo-Cell underwent several changes of leadership, including the retirement of founder Dan Richard. Richard’s severance package includes a $200,000 annual consulting fee which he will receive from Cryo-Cell for life.
  • On 3 Feb 2003, the St. Petersburg Times published an expose titled Meltdown in which Cryo-Cell employees alleged there were repeated malfunctions of a proprietary freezer under development at Cryo-Cell. The European affiliates of Cryo-Cell refused to use this freezer, breaching the terms of their technology transfer contract.
  • In the calendar year 2004 Cryo-Cell changed several business practices and raised prices substantially. Cryo-Cell discontinued use of their proprietary freezer, cancelled plans to open a subsidiary for storage of adult Stem Cells, and reached an amicable settlement with their former European affiliates.
  • On 6Dec2004, Cryo-Cell relocated its headquarters and lab from one Tampa suburb (Clearwater) to another (Oldsmar). The new facility is nearly 18,000 square-feet and meets FDA rules for good manuFACTuring and good tissue practices (cGTPs). Nearly 75,000 client specimens were moved under police escort.
  • Prior to 25 April 2005, Cryo-Cell processed cord blood by “Ficoll-Hypaque” density centrifugation, and long term storage was in vials. Vials were split between two locations: company headquarters in Florida and the storage facility Safti-Cell in Sedona, Arizona.
  • Cryo-Cell has international affiliates in Mexico, Central and South America, and India.
  • As of Feb 2007 Cryo-Cell claims more than 135,000 clients worldwide.

Cryo-Cell owns approximately 38% of Saneron CCEL Therapeutics Inc., a biotech company which is conducting research on spinal cord repair using donated cord blood Stem Cells combined with “Sertoli” cells. The “Sertoli” cells come from mammalian testes, and have the ability to provide localized immunosuppression, thereby eliminating the need for immune-suppressing drugs (like steroids or chemotherapy) when infusing patients with cord blood cells that have incompatible tissue types. In Oct 2005, Cryo-Cell formed an exclusive partnership with the biotech firm Plureon Corporation to market the collection of Stem Cells from the placenta. Cryo-Cell and Plureon parted ways in 2007. Quarterly Reports of Cryo-Cell can be accessed by searching under their name at the SEC web site Edgar. (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml)

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