“When exposed to suboptimal storage temperatures, the CBUs will start to thaw and the stem cells in the cord blood may be damaged. While investigations are still ongoing, a notice to stop is necessary to safeguard patients’ interest,” said MOH at the time.
The Director-General of Health has decided to renew Cordlife’s cord blood banking service and human tissue banking service licences for a year with effect from Jan 14, said the company in its Jan 15 statement. According to Cordlife, it received the news from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Jan 13.
The news comes after Cordlife first announced, on Nov 30, 2023, that seven of its cryogenic storage tanks based in Singapore were exposed to temperatures outside of their normal temperature range from November 2020 to November 2023. MOH, on the same day, said it found that Cordlife’s cord blood units (CBU) storage tanks were exposed to temperatures “above the acceptable limits” of below -150 degrees Celsius.
