Core 23 Biobank collects, processes, stores and distributes umbilical cord blood and tissue to use the stem cells they contain to treat diseases. A hybrid (public and private) cord bank, Core23 offers families the opportunity to safely and easily store the cord blood/tissue from a healthy, live birth to use in treating family members’ diseases later in life, or even to treat the child itself.

In 1988, we knew of just one application for these healthy cells. Today, there are more than 80. Stem cells within cord blood/tissue have near-miraculous regenerative properties and are FDA approved to treat diseases including cancers, blood disorders, immunodeficiencies, metabolic disorders and more. With over 700 active clinical trials underway using cord blood and cord tissue stem cells, the future medical applications are expected to grow substantially. We are just beginning to see and understand what regenerative medicine and cell therapy are capable of.

Our lab’s location in Springfield, Missouri, puts us precisely in the middle of the country, allowing us to easily serve anyone in the lower 48 states. Being the only private lab within 500 miles of our location gives affords us the opportunity to expand our business rapidly.

Using our unique collection and distribution model the process of saving life changing stem cells has never been easier! We have the team, we have the facility, we have the process and we have the product. Now it’s time to educate the public on the potential of cord blood and build brand recognition in the process.

Every day, millions of people battle disease and injury. Why?

Disease and injury occur when organs and tissues degrade on a cellular level. Even adults produce stem cells to repair, rebuild and regrow our cells throughout our lives.

Over time, our bodies’ ability to produce these cells slowly declines. The degradation of organs and tissues occurs precisely because of a lack of healthy stem cell production. By using the healthy stem cells found in cord blood and tissue, the unhealthy cells in your body can be repaired or replaced providing a remarkably efficient and effective method of fighting disease.

~ Mayo Clinic

Core 23 provides families the opportunity to save those precious stem cells - cells that could one day be used to save a life.

Your child’s life.
Your parent’s life.
Your life.

Who Can We Help?
The process of matching and treatment with stem cells is a lot like a bone marrow or organ transplant, and because of genetic compatibility many family members may benefit.

For the child, of course, genetic compatibility is a 100 percent match and parents are guaranteed to be at least a partial match. Siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match and a 50% chance of being a partial match. Both first and second-degree relatives can benefit, even a grandparent’s life can be saved by their grandchildren’s cord blood.

"Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions." ~ National Institutes of Health

It’s Safe, and It’s Easy
Here’s how it works:

• When parents enroll, we send them a kit to take to the hospital when the time for delivery comes. Parents simply hand the kit, which contains everything needed to perform the collection, to their doctor or nurse. After the birth, instead of discarding the umbilical cord, the doctor will collect the blood and/or tissue and simply place it in the kit.
• Core 23 then deploys a medical courier to retrieve the kit and bring back to our lab for processing, testing and long-term storage. Once in the liquid nitrogen tank at our state-of-the-art laboratory, the samples will be frozen at -320 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a perfect world, we’d never have to retrieve a sample from storage to use in treatment. In a perfect world,  no one would get sick.
• But in an imperfect world where sickness happens all too often, Core 23 saves lives. We’re awfully proud of that, and it’s a responsibility we take very seriously.

Core 23 employs the best people, process and product in the business.

In December  2013, Core 23 enrolled our first patient. Since then, we’ve made significant progress towards AABB accreditation, added five to six patients each month, and grown to an expected $1 million in revenue in 2016, with no prior marketing.

2016 is going to be a banner year for Core 23. Want to learn why? Click the “business profile” tab at the top of this page to find out why Core 23’s time has come.

Michael studied Biomedical Science, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Chemistry at Missouri State University.  He went on to earn his Master's Degree in Business Administration at Drury University.  Michael currently serves Core23 Biobank as Director of Business Development.

Dr. Kevin Preuss earned his doctorate in Developmental Biology Sciences from Duke University in Durham, NC and held various positions at the Baylor College of Medicine.  He served as professor of Biological Sciences at Drury University before serving as Laboratory Director at Core23 Biobank.

Tianne studied criminology, biology, and chemistry at Great Falls University in Montana prior to being recruited to Core23 Biobank. Tianne was Core23 Biobank’s very first hired employee, serving as Laboratory Assistant and then, Laboratory Technician.  Currently, she serves as Quality Manager and Regulatory Compliance Enforcement Officer.

Jordan is passionate about stem cell therapy, partially due to being involved in a horrific car accident at the age of 16, which left him with severe spinal cord damage. After 15 years, 5 major surgeries, and a miraculous recovery Jordan received his degree in biological sciences from Drury University.  He now works at Core23 Biobank as Lead Laboratory Technician.