Sample Collection during Amniocentesis

Biocell Center has developed a method to cryopreserve cells from amniotic fluid that is very simple and does not change the amniocentesis procedure itself.

When a patient is undergoing a second trimester genetic amniocentesis, the doctor collects a small portion (3 milliliters) of the extracted amniotic fluid volume into a sterile tube provided by Biocell Center. The sample is then sent to our laboratory where the amniotic fluid cells are processed and frozen, and can be stored for decades using liquid nitrogen.

Dr. Kate Torchilin, CEO of Biocell Center Corporation, states: "We offer a choice to preserve such cells to a patient who has already decided, for other reasons, to perform the amniocentesis. The preservation of the amniotic fluid doesn't cause any alteration in the usual test method. It's therefore possible for any doctor responsible for amniocentesis to collect the sample without any additional risk or complications."