CORDLIFE announced on Tuesday (Sep 17) that it is improving operational protocols and upgrading the laboratory monitoring system at its processing and storage facility, as it resumes cord-blood banking services in a controlled manner.
The new monitoring system tracks the temperature of 27 cryogenic storage tanks and other critical equipment, thus ensuring round-the-clock surveillance both on-site and remotely, said the company.
It also sends alerts to technicians, supervisors and management personnel through various channels, with procedures in place to escalate issues to senior leadership if necessary.
To ensure that operations continue under any circumstances, the system runs on its own power source, while other equipment in the facility is supported by multiple power supplies and a backup generator.
Additionally, Cordlife has also assigned more technicians to be on duty after office hours.
Group chief executive Ivan Yiu noted that the company will recruit more experts and professionals to further improve operations and service standards.
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The facility’s cord-blood processing laboratory is also equipped with four units of the AXP II system, an automated platform for processing cord blood. The system has been validated under the supervision of an expert panel from the Ministry of Health (MOH), said Cordlife.
The launch of the facility, which spans 5,400 square feet, comes after Cordlife accepted a notice from MOH earlier this month regarding changes to its cord-blood banking service licence.
As part of the agreement, Cordlife will not collect, test, process and/or store more than 30 new cord-blood units a month from infant donors from Sep 15, 2024, to Jan 13, 2025, unless sooner approved by the director-general of health.
Cordlife was previously told to stop the collection, testing, processing and/or storage of new cord blood for a period of six months from Dec 15, 2023. This came after MOH said seven of Cordlife’s 22 tanks had been exposed to temperatures above acceptable limits at different periods from November 2020.
In the latest, Cordlife said it has been engaging with clients affected by temperature excursions in two storage tanks and a dry shipper.
The company said it will refund the customers annual fees received from the start of the incident and waive subsequent fees until the service agreements mature when the child turns 21.
Shares of Cordlife were trading flat at S$0.147 as at 1.23 pm on Tuesday.
