· Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells that can be used to treat various intractable disorders
· Umbilical cord blood-related research is gaining momentum with increasing demand for cord blood storage in light of rising life-expectancy

Korean star actress Choi Jiwoo is in the spotlight for storing her newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood, as her first gift to the baby.

MEDIPOST, a leading stem cell biotechnology company, today announced that actress Choi Jiwoo has completed a process to safely store her newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood unit at CELLTREE^®, brand name of MEDIPOST’s umbilical cord blood bank.

Choi requested MEDIPOST to store her newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood in April before she gave birth to a daughter at a maternity clinic in Seoul on May 16.

Umbilical cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following a childbirth. It is rich in hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, which can be used to treat various intractable disorders.

There is a growing number of people who choose to store umbilical cord blood as a reliable lifetime insurance for their children and family members, as the average life-expectancy is reaching close to 100 years of age, as well as a growing public interest and awareness in health and well-being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Umbilical cord blood can be safely stored for a long period thanks to cryopreservation technology using liquid nitrogen. The storage is preceded by a number of compulsory laboratory tests including cell viability, immunogenicity, microbial culture testing, and virus safety testing under the local regulations.

Korea enacted the Cord Blood Management and Research Act in 2011 to ensure public confidence in safety and quality of private cord blood banks.

The storage period can be selected by clients ranging from 15 years (minimum) to a longer-term duration. Demand for long-term storage of umbilical cord blood is on the rise with increased activities in the stem cell-related research and the expanding list of diseases which can be treated using stem cell therapy.

MEDIPOST’s CELLTREE^® is Korea’s largest private cord blood bank with over 250,000 umbilical cord blood units in storage. Many celebrity couples including Kim Tae-hee & Rain, Jang Dong-Gun & Ko So-Young, and Yoo Ho-jung & Lee Jae-ryong chose CELLTREE^® to store their babies’ cord blood units.