2005 Yeah Baby Family EXPO                 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE POWER THAT CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS HOLD FOR POTENTIAL CURES WILL BE A FEATURE AT THE UPCOMING 2005 YEAH BABY FAMILY EXPO

ATTENDING FAMILIES WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR HOW CORD BLOOD BANKING CAN SAFEGUARD THEIR BABIES’ FUTURE HEALTH FROM SPEAKER KAJ RYDMAN OF FAMILY CORD BLOOD SERVICES

Los Angeles, CA (April 18, 2005) – Alongside the newest and latest in designs and innovations to help enhance baby and parent lifestyles, the 2005 Yeah Baby Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 23 and 24, will also focus on an issue of primary importance to expectant parents – a one-time chance to bank their baby’s umbilical cord blood as a safeguard for their babies’ future health.

Families will have a chance to hear from the President of Family Cord Blood Services, Kaj Rydman, who will be speaking on the great potential for treatment of diseases that umbilical cord blood offers. Says Rydman, “Physicians now know that stem cells are “unspecialized” cells and have the ability to re-constitute an immune system. As a result, these stem cells have the potential to provide cures or new treatments for many diseases and injuries including certain cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, diabetes, anemia and spinal cord injuries.”

Continues Rydman, “A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after a birth. With the phenomenal growth in awareness that cord blood stem cells have unique qualities, coupled with the advent of the technology to process stem cells for freezing, cord blood banking is becoming much more commonplace.”

Rydman will be speaking on Saturday April 23 at 10:45am and 5:00pm and on Sunday at 11:00am and 4:30pm.

According to Dr. Charles Sims, Co-Founder of both Family Cord Blood Services, (one of the few private umbilical cord blood banks owned and operated by doctors), and its parent company California Cryobank, Inc., (one of the largest and oldest reproductive tissue banks in the world), “key to successful treatment is the cord blood match. If used by the baby it is a 100% match. If used by siblings it has a 25% chance of matching.” With the recognition by the international medical community that stem cells have the ability to generate healthy new cells, tissues and organs, parents-to-be are ever more cognizant that banking cord blood is an option that cannot be ignored.

At Family Cord Blood Services, cord blood is stored strictly for use by the parents for their child, siblings or other family members. This ensures that a child will have access to his/her own genetically unique cells. Harvesting and banking cord blood is a fairly simple procedure that can be performed during vaginal or caesarian deliveries without interrupting the birth process. It then travels from anywhere in the world via a specialized medical courier.

###

About Family Cord Blood Services

Family Cord Blood Services (www.familycordbloodservices.com), formerly California Cryobank Stem Cell Services, an umbilical cord blood processing and storage company, was founded as a division of California Cryobank, Inc. (CCB) seven years ago by the same veteran team of physician visionaries that earned CCB its global reputation of excellence. Today, Family Cord Blood Services’ sophisticated process of cord blood processing, freezing and storage, serves families throughout the US and worldwide. Family Cord Blood Services’ staff includes on site licensed clinical laboratory scientists with extensive blood banking experience. The company is licensed by PharmaStem and holds a biologics license by the State of California, a tissue bank license from the State of New York and is accredited by the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks). Its facility is registered with the Food and Drug Administration.