ViaCell

About ViaCell

ViaCord, a subsidiary of the global life sciences company Revvity, operates as a private cord blood and tissue bank for expectant families. The company was originally founded as ViaCord, Inc. in 1993 by Cynthia Fisher, an entrepreneur with an MBA from Harvard Business School who had previously worked in the Blood Bank Division at Haemonetics. Her vision was to provide a service for testing, typing, freezing, and storing umbilical cord blood from newborns for potential future medical use in treating diseases like cancers and genetic disorders.

In 2000, Fisher co-founded ViaCell, Inc., a cellular medicines company, which absorbed ViaCord as a division. This strategic merger was followed by a successful initial public offering in 2005. A significant milestone occurred in 2007 when PerkinElmer acquired ViaCell for approximately $300 million, primarily for its ViaCord business, integrating it into its portfolio of neonatal and maternal health offerings. Subsequently, in 2023, the life sciences and diagnostics business of PerkinElmer, including ViaCord, was rebranded as Revvity.

ViaCord's business model is fee-for-service, targeting expectant parents as its primary client base. Revenue is generated through initial fees for collection, processing, and testing, followed by recurring annual storage fees. The company offers various payment plans, including options to prepay for long-term storage at a discount. Its core service involves providing families with a collection kit for their medical provider to use at birth. The collected cord blood and tissue are then transported by a dedicated medical courier to ViaCord's processing and storage laboratory near Cincinnati. The company's processing method involves red blood cell depletion and extracting stem cells from tissue prior to cryopreservation, which it states results in a higher cell count. The processed stem cells are stored in a five-compartment bag, allowing for multiple potential uses.

Beyond the primary cord blood and tissue banking, ViaCord has expanded its offerings to include additional genetic testing services for newborns and adults, leveraging the collected cord blood samples. These services can provide insights into a child's predisposition to certain conditions and information on medication sensitivities. The company also runs a Sibling Connection Program, offering its services at no cost to families who have a child with a condition treatable by a sibling's cord blood transplant.