Cord Blood America, Inc. (http://www.cordblood-america.com) (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI), the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, today announced that within 90 days it will begin selling DNA Predisposition testing services in conjunction with The DNA Shop, LLC, (https://dnashop.net) , Henderson, Nevada.
The test involves taking a couple of droplets of blood from both mother's blood draw, and from baby's umbilical cord blood, for testing purposes. CBAI currently collects maternal blood samples with the umbilical cord blood at the time of birth, so this process will require almost no additional time or materials cost. A single finger prick of blood will be collected and tested from other family members also wishing to have these testing services.
The DNA is then analyzed for predisposition to 25 diseases, including Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity and seven different types of cancer, including breast, lung, skin and prostate.
"DNA testing and HLA typing services are a natural progression from storing cord blood stem cells. The parents will now know proclivity to certain diseases for the child," said Matthew Schissler, co-founder and CEO. "Knowing what serious medical conditions or diseases a person is predisposed to will allow for that person to take steps to prevent the disease and to make informed choices about lifestyle and the need for medical screenings."
"This is another excellent example of how we are diversifying our revenue streams, just as we told shareholders we would accomplish in 2010. This service is a natural extension for the same reasons many families invest in cord blood stem cell storage. Advances in DNA testing continue to provide further insight into our wellness equation and with a stored sample, the opportunity to quickly take advantage of the future discoveries in this emerging area of science. In addition, CBAI will offer the DNA testing service to anyone interested, which will broaden our potential customer base dramatically."
There will be a charge for services at time of birth, plus a yearly storage fee for those wishing to store their DNA.
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