Abstract: A cell type that is a complete match of the transplant recipient appears as an optimal scenario to open treatment options to a large patient population with minimal complications. The use of autologous bone marrow or umbilical cord blood has been proposed as a good source of stem cells for cell therapy. Menstrual blood is found to be another important source of stem cells. Assays of cultured menstrual blood reveal that they express embryonic like-stem cell phenotypic markers and neuronal phenotypic markers under appropriate conditioned media. Oxygen glucose deprivation stroke models show that OGD-exposed primary rat neurons, co-cultured with menstrual blood-derived stem cells or exposed to the media from cultured menstrual blood, exhibited significantly reduced cell death.

Abstract: Methods are provided for obtaining expanded human cord blood cells or cord tissue cells expressing CD34. The methods involve seeding a sufficient amount of human cord blood cells or cord tissue cells with a sufficient amount of menstrual cells under co-culture conditions suitable to promote expansion of the cord cells, and co-culturing the cord cells with the menstrual cells under culture conditions that support at least two or more population doublings of the cord cells. Methods are also provided for growing expanded human cord cells to give rise to any one of colony forming units, colony forming unit granulocyte macrophages (CFU-GM), burst forming unit erythroids (BFU-E), and colony forming unit granulocyte erythrocyte macrophage megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM) blood lineage precursor cells. The expanded cells may express CD34, SSEA-4, and HLA-II. Compositions of the expanded cells are also provided.

Abstract: Compositions comprising menstrual stem cells (MSCs) and methods, processes, and system therefor are provided by the invention. MSCs are processed from menstrual flow collected during menses. MSCs may be cryopreserved, processed through various culturing and selection steps in preparation for cryopreservation, or processed for therapeutic or cosmeceutical use. Cryopreserved MSCs may be thawed in preparation for therapeutic and cosmeceutical use. MSCs express CD9, CD10, CD13, CD29, CD44, CD49e, CD49f, CD59, CD81, CD105, CD166, and HLA class I, and have low or no expression of CD3 and HLA class II.

Abstract: Methods are provided for obtaining expanded human cord blood cells expressing CD34. The methods involve seeding a sufficient amount of cord blood cells with a sufficient amount of menstrual cells under co-culture conditions suitable to promote expansion of the cord blood cells, and co-culturing the cord blood cells with the menstrual cells under culture conditions that support at least two or more population doublings of the cord blood cells. Methods are also provided for growing expanded human cord blood cells to give rise to any one of colony forming units, colony forming unit granulocyte macrophages (CFU-GM), burst forming unit erythroids (BFU-E), and colony forming unit granulocyte erythrocyte macrophage megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM) blood lineage precursor cells. The expanded cells may express CD34, SSEA-4, and HLA-II. Compositions of the expanded cells are also provided.

Abstract: Methods are provided for obtaining and testing or analyzing a non-venous and non-arterial puncture human fluid or cell sample or human body fluid or cell sample to detect the presence of at least one infectious disease. The sample may be menstrual fluid, endometrial menstrual cells, umbilical cord blood, or amniotic fluid. Confirmatory testing of a corresponding arterial or venous blood sample for comparison to the test results for the non-venous and non-arterial human fluid or cell sample may be performed. The testing may comprise a screening test or a confirmatory test.

Abstract: Compositions comprising menstrual stem cells (MSCs) and methods, processes, and system therefor are provided by the invention. MSCs are processed from menstrual flow collected during menses. MSCs may be cryopreserved, processed through various culturing and selection steps in preparation for cryopreservation, or processed for therapeutic or cosmeceutical use. Cryopreserved MSCs may be thawed in preparation for therapeutic and cosmeceutical use. MSCs express CD9, CD10, CD13, CD29, CD44, CD49e, CD49f, CD59, CD81, CD105, CD166, and HLA class I, and have low or no expression of CD3 and HLA class II.

Abstract: Methods, processes and systems for procuring, isolating and cryopreserving at least one viable, multipotent maternal placental stem cell is provided. Viable maternal placental stem cells are also provided. The maternal placental stem cell of the invention expresses the cell surface marker CD117 and at least one of the cell surface markers selected from the group consisting of CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166, SSEA-3 and SSEA-4 and has low or no expression of at least one of the cell surface markers selected from the group consisting of CD34, CD45, CD133, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81. The methods and process comprise generally obtaining a piece of placental tissue from a whole placenta, disaggregating the placental tissue with mechanical separation or enzymatic digestion, collecting and concentrating placental cells comprising maternal placental cells with centrifugation and optionally cryopreserving the placental cells. Additional steps for selecting and culturing the maternal placental stem cells is provided.

Abstract: Methods, processes and systems for procuring, isolating and cryopreserving fetal placental cells are provided. A population of fetal placental cells is also provided.

Abstract: A storage system particularly for storing biological materials such as blood, stem cells, and DNA includes a storage unit having at least three vertical sides, at least two of the three vertical sides each being provided with a plurality of individually accessible storage receptacles. A plurality of boxes or cassettes are removably disposed in respective ones of the storage receptacles. At least one robot mechanism is movable along a track section or path extending to the two vertical sides of the unit, the robot mechanism having a robotic arm for accessing the storage receptacles. A computer is operatively connected to the robot mechanism for controlling movement and access operations thereof and for registering the contents of the storage receptacles. Where the storage unit is disposed in a room, additional storage receptacles may be disposed in a rectangular array inside a wall of the room.

Abstract: A method for preserving the temperature integrity of cryogenically preserved biological samples is presented, involving initiating a countdown sequence upon removal of a sample from a controlled portable or bulk storage environment, requiring operator action to terminate the countdown on restoration of the sample to a controlled environment. Audible and visual warnings are provided to an operator prior to attainment of a critical temperature, beyond which damage may accrue to the sample. A portable device facilitating execution of the method is described.

Abstract: A storage unit includes a housing with a storage chamber, a carrier disposed inside the chamber for supporting a plurality of specimens in a predetermined array, and an access port on the housing for enabling access to the chamber for insertion and retrieval of specimens from the carrier. The access port includes an opening in the housing and a plug member removably located in the opening. The carrier is provided with a seat for receiving the plug member during an access operation, so that the plug member is located in the chamber during the access operation. A drive is operatively connected to the carrier for moving the carrier in the chamber to juxtapose different specimens to the access port. An insertion and removal mechanism is coupled to the housing for alternately inserting and removing specimens from the chamber via the access port during the access operation.

Abstract: A storage unit comprises a housing defining a storage chamber and a plurality of specimen carriers in the form of annular shelves disposed one below the other inside the chamber. A rotary drive is operatively connected to the carriers for rotating the carriers independently about a vertical axis. The housing is provided with an access opening for enabling access to the chamber from above the carrier, while an insertion and removal mechanism serves to alternately insert and remove specimens from the chamber via the access opening. The insertion and removal mechanism includes a lifting device disposed at least partially inside the storage chamber for moving specimens vertically between the access opening and the respective carriers. Specimen-containing vials are disposed on trays which in turn are supported by the carriers. The lifting mechanism operates to lift entire trays from the respective carriers towards the access opening.

Abstract: A storage apparatus comprises a housing for defining a cryogenic storage unit and a plurality of low-temperature chambers disposed one next to the other, the housing including partitions for separating the chambers from one another. Temperature controls for controlling temperature independently in each of the chambers is operatively connected to each of the chambers. Each one of the chambers has access to at least one other chamber contiguous with the one chamber. Supports are provided for holding a plurality of specimens within each chamber. A conveyor or transfer mechanism is provided for transfering selected specimens between contiguous chambers, independently of other specimens in the housing. In addition, access is provided to the housing to enable deposition and removal of given specimens from the housing.

Abstract: A method used in low temperature storage of biological specimens comprises the steps of (a) maintaining a multiplicity of biological specimens within a predetermined low temperature range in a cryogenic storage unit, (b) selecting at least one biological specimen for removal from the storage unit, (c) determining a respective thaw period and thaw rate for the selected specimen, (d) automatically retrieving the selected specimen from the storage unit at removal time in accordance with the respective determined thaw period, and (e) automatically thawing the selected specimen at the respective thaw rate. An associated thawing system comprises a storage unit for maintaining a plurality of biological specimens within a predetermined low temperature range, a plurality of thawing chambers, and a heat exchange assembly for implementing a temperature change in each of the chambers independently of temperature changes in the other chambers.

Abstract: A system for preparing a flexible elongate fluid-containing member for storage comprises a transparent perforated hollow shaft for supporting the fluid-containing member in a coiled configuration and a cup-shaped cleaning device for automatically dispensing a cleaning fluid onto the fluid-containing member while it is held in the coiled configuration on the support shaft. A transfer mechanism is provided for automatically transferring the fluid-containing member in the coiled configuration from the support shaft to a receptacle, and an aspirator is provided for automatically removing liquid from the fluid-containing member prior to transference thereof from the support shaft to the receptacle. The receptacle includes a central finger defining with an outer wall an annular storage chamber for maintaining the elongate member in a coiled configuration during storage.

Abstract: A cryogenic storage apparatus comprises a housing with an automatically operated access door. A holder device disposed in the housing supports a plurality of specimen-containing ampules, while a conveyor moves the holder device, together with the plurality of ampules, through cooling fluid in the housing along a path preferably including a snaking portion with vertically extending folds. An inverted L-shaped cooling component with an opened upper side is disposed in the housing for maintaining the cooling fluid at a predetermined low temperature. An extraction mechanism disposed outside of the housing at the access door serves to remove a selectable ampule positioned in the housing in juxtaposition to the door.

Abstract: In a method for preserving umbilical cord blood, a severed umbilical cord is provided which has at least one tubular blood vessel closed at opposite ends to maintain fluid in the vessel. An anticoagulant is added to blood fluids in the vessel, and the blood fluid is moved in the vessel to distribute the anticoagulant throughout the blood. An associated apparatus comprises a container, a support within the container for supporting an umbilical cord, an injector or other fluid adding device engageable with the umbilical cord in the container for introducing an anticoagulant into at least one tubular vessel in the umbilical cord, and a fluid moving device at least partially inside the container for moving blood fluid contained in the tubular vessel.

Abstract: An apparatus for extracting blood fluids from a placenta and umbilical cord comprises a frame assembly, a rotary carriage mounted to the frame assembly for rotation about a vertical axis, a drive operatively connected to the carriage for rotating the carriage about the axis, and a support for holding the placenta and the umbilical cord. A connector pivotably connects the support to the carriage to enable a pivoting of the support about a rotating horizontal axis during rotating of the carriage by the drive, while a collector is attached to the support for enabling a collection of fluid flowing from the placenta and the umbilical cord during operation of the drive. A fluid delivery system is provided for automatically supplying an anticoagulant to extracted blood fluid.