On June 16, 2021, the Institute of Cell Therapy, a co-founder and a full member of the Association of Cryobanks represented Ukraine at an online meeting of public and private cord blood banks, organized by the international organization Cord Blood Association.

Institute of Cell Therapy is also a member of Cord Blood Association. On behalf of the Institute of Cell Therapy, the conference was attended by Dr. Christina Nasadyuk, MD, Ph.D., a chief of the International Affairs Department of the Association of Cryobanks.

The international cord blood banks community was represented by 24 participants from different countries and continents. The scientific meeting, initiated by the CBA, was held under the working title “Management of Older Cord Blood Units”. During the conference, the hot issues of cord blood biobanking were discussed, in particular, the peculiarities of cryopreservation and clinical use of “older” biodeposits preserved 30-20 years ago.

During the meeting, the undeniable value of umbilical cord blood as a source of stem cells for hematology and regenerative medicine, the feasibility of its long-term storage and the prospects of new “products” that can be obtained from this biological material were noted. These include T lymphocytes, dendritic and other immune cells in addition to the well-known hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells.

In June 2021, the Institute of Cell Therapy also participated in the international webinar Boulder Peptide Symposium on Peptide Vaccines and the international workshop “Simplifying hiPSC-based disease modeling”.

The participation of Ukrainian cryobanks, scientific and medical centers in the specialized activities of the international community is of great importance for the exchange of experience, integration of scientific developments, harmonization of legal regulation of the industry.