LifebankUSA to store placental stem cells

Lifebank-USA said Tuesday it will start banking stem cells derived from placentas.

Officials at the Cedar-Knolls-based company are touting placental-derived stem cells as a promising route to develop therapies to repair damaged or diseased tissue. The placenta is an organ that mediates interactions between a fetus and a mother's uterus.

With its cryobanking facilities in Cedar Knolls and Baton Rouge, La., Lifebank-USA is already providing a major repository for stem cells from umbilical cord blood. The company plans to start banking placental-derived stem cells next week.