Yes, the medical community has been relying on cryopreservation to preserve sperm cells and oocytes (eggs) for generations already; and umbilical cord blood banking also uses cryopreservation. Acorn uses the same reliable process and adds its proprietary transport media to collect and ship the cells – which all enable lifelong cell preservation and viability. Cells and other human tissues can theoretically be safely and reliably preserved using cryopreservation indefinitely. That means that cryopreservation is a proven method that will reliably allow you to benefit from future medical innovations for many years to come.
Acorn FAQ Category: Collection Process
Cryopreservation is the most widely accepted, medically-proven, method of safe long-term preservation of human samples, specifically cells, at very low temperatures to maintain their viability when thawed. The medical community has been using cryopreservation for generations already for fertility solutions involving the freezing of eggs; or with the preservation of sperm samples – all successfully generating 40 years of live births already.
Acorn was built on two very important fundamental principles: transparency and consent. We will never share identifiable personal data from your cells to any party – either overtly or surreptitiously; and we will always ask you to opt-in and provide explicit consent to any health-related studies, research or data that could help you or help others that would require your identifiable personal data. Acorn believes strongly that the future of the global digital economy and the communities that thrive in it will be built on transparency and consent. You always need to be fully aware of what is being done with your data and you must always consent to its use. You can read more in our privacy policy and terms and conditions of service on our website (www.acorn.me).
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with the ability to grow and differentiate into specialized cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated mature somatic cells that have been reverted back to a stem cell-like state by the induced activation of the so-called Yamanaka factors (i.e. Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc). Once in a stem cell-like state, iPSCs can potentially be converted into any cell type, making them useful in a variety of personalized medical therapies.
Please allow for about 15 min per person for your session which includes time to process your collection and to set up your client account at Acorn. Starting in the month following your cell collection, and ongoing, you will be billed your monthly cell storage fee of $16 CAD.
Collecting a few plucked hairs from your head is very easy – most people say it feels like plucking an eyebrow. However, we always like to remind people that you need to have some hair on your head – even if only a small amount – for the cell collection session. So if you happen to be someone who shaves their head, you will need to grow just enough hair on a few areas of your head to allow for a set of tweezers to retrieve a few strands of hair. This can be as short as 0.5 cm in length or less and depending on how fast your hair grows this can be grown out fairly quickly. Please keep this in mind when you choose your cell collection date. Its also a good idea to come to your session with recently washed hair, to minimize the amount of hair product that you use, and to limit the hair accessories that you wear that day (elastics, clips, extensions etc…)
