NYSE: CCEL

As discussed further in Note 18, on February 23, 2021, the Company entered into a Patent and Technology License Agreement (the “Duke License Agreement”) with Duke University (“Duke”). The Duke License Agreement grants the Company certain rights to proprietary processes and regulatory data related to cord blood and cord tissue developed at Duke. Through the Duke License Agreement, the Company had anticipated, either directly or through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Celle Corp., exploring, testing, and administering treatments to patients for which there are limited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved therapies, including cerebral palsy and autism. These treatments were expected to utilize the unique immunomodulatory and potential regenerative properties derived from cord blood and cord tissue. Through the Duke License Agreement, the Company intended to develop three business units, namely: (1) its cord blood bank and other storage services (its historical business); (2) cord blood and cord tissue infusion clinic services initially under the FDA’s Expanded Access Program and in conjunction with the undertaking of cord blood and cord tissue clinical trials to obtain biologics license application (“BLA”) approvals for new indications, and (3) biopharmaceutical manufacturing if BLA(s) were approved by the FDA. Additionally, to support such business expansion, the Company had anticipated opening and launching the Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies, which it initially hoped to open as early as the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, but no later than the first quarter of fiscal 2022 (and more recently reported as anticipated to open during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024). As discussed further in Note 18, the Company has received from Duke a notice of termination of the License Agreement as of May 17, 2025. As of the date hereof, it is unlikely that the Company will be able to expand its business into business units (2) and (3) above through the Duke License Agreement.

Until the Duke dispute is resolved, the Company does not anticipate making further investments in activities related to the Duke License Agreement. The opening of the Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies is also on pause and the Company can make no assurances as to when or if it will be opened. Additionally, the proposed spinoff of Celle Corp. is also on hold and may not take place depending on the final outcome of the Duke dispute. See, “Risk Factors” and Note 12 and Note 18 for additional information regarding Duke.

Cord Blood Stem Cell Processing and Storage Business

Background of Business

Nearly fifty years ago researchers discovered that cells could be cryopreserved at extremely low temperatures and all cellular activity would cease until the specimens were thawed. Historically, cryopreservation was required for organ transplants, blood banking and medical research. Today, cryopreservation of umbilical cord blood stem cells gives individuals the opportunity to potentially take advantage of evolving cellular therapies and other medical technologies.

Hematopoietic stem cells are the building blocks of our blood and immune systems. They form the white blood cells that fight infection, red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body and platelets that promote healing. These cells are found in bone marrow where they continue to generate cells throughout our lives. Stem cells can be stored in a cryogenic environment, and upon thawing, infused into a patient. They can be returned to the individual from whom they were taken (autologous) or donated to someone else (allogeneic). An individual’s own bone marrow may be used for a transplant if the cancer has not entered the marrow system (metastasized). Otherwise, a marrow donor needs to be identified to provide the needed bone marrow. The availability of a marrow donor or matched stem cell specimen allows physicians to administer larger doses of chemotherapy or radiation in an effort to eradicate the disease. Stem cell therapies and transplants are used for both cancerous and non-cancerous diseases.

Stem cells are found in umbilical cord blood (“cord blood stem cells”) and can be collected and stored after a baby is born. Over 60,000 cord blood stem cell transplants have been performed to date. The Company believes that many parents will want to save and store these cells for potential future use by their family, either for the donor or for another family member. Today, stem cell transplants are known and accepted treatments for at least 80 diseases, we believe, a number of them life-threatening. With continued research in this area of medical technology, other therapeutic uses for cord blood stem cells are being explored. Moreover, researchers believe they may be utilized in the future for treating diseases that currently have no cure.

It is the Company’s mission to inform expectant parents and their prenatal care providers of the potential

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medical benefits from preserving stem cells and to provide them the means and processes for collection and storage of these cells. A vast majority of expectant parents are simply unaware that umbilical cord blood contains a rich supply of non-controversial stem cells and that they can be collected, processed and stored for the potential future use of the newborn and possibly related family members. A baby’s stem cells are a perfect match for the baby throughout its life and have a 1-in-4 chance of being a perfect match and a 3-in-4 chance of being an acceptable match for a sibling. There is no assurance, however, that a perfect match means the cells could be used to treat certain diseases of the newborn or a relative. Today, it is still common for the cord blood (the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta) to be discarded at the time of birth as medical waste.

Despite the potential benefits of umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation, the number of parents of newborns participating in stem cell preservation is still relatively small compared to the number of births (four million per annum) in the United States. The Company believes some reasons for this low level of market penetration are the misperception of the high cost of stem cell storage and a general lack of awareness of the benefits of stem cell preservation programs. However, the Company believes evolving medical technology could significantly increase the utilization of the umbilical cord blood for transplantation and/or other types of treatments. The Company believes it offers the highest quality, highest value service targeted to a broad base of the market. We intend to maximize our growth potential through our superior quality, value-driven competitive leadership position, product differentiation, an embedded client base, increased public awareness and accelerated market penetration.

The Company believes that the market for cord blood stem cell preservation is enhanced by global discussion on stem cell research developments and the current focus on reducing prohibitive health care costs. With the increasing costs of bone marrow matches and transplants, a newborn’s umbilical cord blood cells can be stored as a precautionary measure. Medical technology is constantly evolving which may provide new uses for cryopreserved cord blood stem cells.

Our Cord Blood Stem Cell Storage Services

The Company enters into storage agreements with its clients under which the Company charges a fee for the processing and testing and first year of storage of the umbilical cord blood. Thereafter, the client is charged an annual fee to store the specimen, unless the client entered into an 18-year pre-paid storage plan or a lifetime pre-paid storage plan.

The Company’s corporate headquarters are located in a nearly 18,000 square-foot state-of-the-art current Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP)-compliant facility. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) 21 CFR Part 1271, effective in May 2005, requires human cellular and tissue-based products to be manufactured in compliance with good tissue practices (cGTPs). In addition, the cellular products cryogenic storage area has been designed as a “bunker,” with enhanced provisions for security, building fortification for environmental element protection and back-up systems for operational redundancies. The Company believes that it was the first private bank to process cord blood in a technologically and operationally advanced cGMP/cGTP-compliant facility. The Company’s facility, which also currently houses the Company’s client services, marketing and administrative operations, is designed to accommodate a broad range of events such as client tours and open houses, as well as educational workshops for clinicians and expectant parents.

The Company also purchased a 56,000 square-foot facility in Durham, North Carolina (the “New Facility”). The Company acquired the New Facility to accommodate anticipated operations relating to the Patent and Technology Agreement (the “Duke License Agreement”) with Duke University (“Duke”) as discussed further in Note 18. In addition, the New Facility provides capacity not only for the Company’s existing and anticipated internal storage needs, but also enables the Company to offer storage services to third-parties.

Competitive Advantages

The Company believes that it provides several key advantages over its competitors, including:

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The world’s first private cord blood bank, that in combination with its global affiliates, currently stores over 250,000 cord blood and cord tissue specimens worldwide,

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our facility's status as a cGMP- and cGTP-compliant private cord blood bank with AABB accreditation and FACT (the Foundation for the Accreditation for Cellular Therapy) accreditation,

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a state-of-the-art laboratory processing facility,

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utilization of a processing method using superior technology that yields the maximum recovery of healthy stem cells and provides superior red blood depletion over all other methods,

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a five-compartment cord blood freezer bag that allows for multiple uses of the baby’s cord blood stem cells,

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a safe, secure and monitored storage environment,

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since inception, 100% viability rate of the Company’s specimens upon thaw for therapeutic use,

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a state-of the-art, insulated collection kit,

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7 day per week processing capability, and

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a payment warranty under which the Company agrees to pay $50,000 (effective February 1, 2012 this payment was increased to $75,000 for new clients, effective June 1, 2017 this payment was increased to $100,000 for new clients that choose the premium cord blood processing method, PrepaCyte CB) to its client if the umbilical cord blood product retrieved is used for a stem cell transplant for the donor or an immediate family member and fails to engraft, subject to various restrictions.

Cord Tissue

In August 2011, the Company introduced its advanced new cord tissue service, which stores a section of the umbilical cord tissue. Approximately six inches of the cord tissue is procured and transported to the Company’s laboratory for processing, testing and cryopreservation for future potential use. Umbilical cord tissue is a rich source of MSCs, which have many unique functions including the ability to inhibit inflammation following tissue damage, to secrete growth factors that aid in tissue repair, and to differentiate into many cell types including neural cells, bone cells, fat cells and cartilage. MSCs are increasingly being researched in regenerative medicine for a wide range of conditions.

Public Banking

In June 2018, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets (the “Cord Purchase”) of Cord:Use Cord Blood Bank, Inc., a Florida corporation (“Cord:Use”), in accordance with the definitive Asset Purchase Agreement between Cryo-Cell and Cord:Use (the “Purchase Agreement”), including without limitation Cord:Use’s inventory of public cord blood units existing as of the closing date (the “Public Cord Blood Inventory”). The Public Cord Blood Inventory creates a large, ethnically diverse, high quality inventory of available cord blood stem cell units for those in need of life saving therapy. The Company collects cord blood units at hospitals in California. The Company’s public inventory is stored in North Carolina, and the cord blood units are sold through the National Marrow Donor Program (“NMDP”) located in Minnesota, who ultimately distributes the cord blood units to transplant centers located in the United States, and around the world.

ExtraVault

On July 18, 2022, the Company completed the purchase of a 56,000 square foot facility located near the Research Triangle Park in the Regional Commerce Center in Durham, North Carolina. The New Facility has space for not only its existing and future internal storage needs, but also has the capacity to offer third party pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions cold storage services (“ExtraVault” – see www.extravault.com), to set up a cellular therapy laboratory to manufacture mesenchymal stromal cells from cord tissue (“MSCs”) and the space to consolidate the Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies under the same roof.

The Company anticipates this Facility will expand the Company’s cryopreservation and cold storage business by introducing a new service, ExtraVault (www.extravault.com). With over 30 years of experience in handling biological specimens for both research and clinical use, Cryo-Cell intends to leverage this expertise and offer these biorepository services to biopharmaceutical companies and healthcare institutions. The new facility will offer state-of-the-art biologic, reagent and vaccine storage at cost effective prices. A robust inventory management system is planned to be implemented that Cryo-Cell believes will allow customers to view their own inventory through a customer portal and place distribution orders online. As a result, it is anticipated ExtraVault will provide expertise, experience, customer electronic access and cost sensitive solutions to the Company’s partners in the biopharma and healthcare industries. Information on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and

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should not be considered part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Marketing

Marketing Approach

It is the Company’s mission to inform expectant parents and their prenatal care providers of the potential medical benefits from preserving stem cells and to provide them with the means and processes for collection and storage of these cells. Today, stem cell transplants are known and accepted treatments for approximately 80 diseases, a number of them life-threatening. With continued research in this area of medical technology, other therapeutic uses for cord blood stem cells are being explored. A vast majority of expectant parents are simply unaware that umbilical cord blood contains a rich supply of non-controversial stem cells and that they can be collected, processed and stored for the potential future use of the newborn and possibly related family members. A baby’s stem cells are a perfect match for the baby throughout its life and have a 1-in-4 chance of being a perfect match and a 3-in-4 chance of being an acceptable match for a sibling. There is no assurance, however, that a perfect match means the cells could be used to treat certain diseases of the newborn or a relative. Today, it is still common for the cord blood (the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta) to be discarded at the time of birth as medical waste.

Despite the potential benefits of umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation, the number of parents of newborns participating in stem cell preservation is still relatively small compared to the number of births (four million per annum) in the United States. The Company believes some reasons for this low level of market penetration are the misperception of the high cost of stem cell storage and a general lack of awareness of the benefits of stem cell preservation programs. However, evolving medical technology could significantly increase the utilization of the umbilical cord blood for transplantation and/or other types of treatments. The Company believes it offers the highest quality, highest value service targeted to a broad base of the market. We intend to maximize our growth potential through our superior quality, value-driven competitive leadership position, product differentiation, an embedded client base, increased public awareness and accelerated market penetration.

Umbilical Cord Blood and Cord Tissue Services

The Company markets its cord blood stem cell preservation services directly to expectant parents and by distributing information through obstetricians, pediatricians, childbirth educators, certified nurse-midwives and other related healthcare professionals. The Company believes that its revenues have been facilitated by a variety of referral sources, resulting from high levels of customer satisfaction. New expectant parent referrals are provided by physicians, midwives and childbirth educators, and by client-to-client referrals and repeat clients storing the stem cells of their additional children.

The Company has a national team of field cord blood educators who increase awareness of the benefits of storing cord blood and cord tissue to the Company’s clinical referral sources, including physicians, midwives and hospitals and to expectant parents. Other promotional activities include internet advertisements and telemarketing activities. In addition, the Company exhibits at conferences, trade shows and other meetings attended by pregnant women and/or medical professionals. Significant portions of client referrals to the Company are from medical caregiver professionals.

To increase awareness among expectant parent audiences, the Company continues to promote its service through internet marketing. Expectant parents have also received information via emails and internet marketing campaigns.

The Company’s client support team advisors are available by telephone to enroll clients and educate both expectant parents and the medical community on the life-saving potential of cord blood stem cell preservation.

The Company continues to use its website, www.cryo-cell.com, to market its services and to provide resource information to expectant parents. The site, which is frequently updated and improved, is divided into areas of interest, including sections for expectant parents, medical caregivers and investors. Expectant parents may request and receive information about the umbilical cord blood and cord tissue service and enroll online. Viewers may read about successful transplants using Cryo-Cell stored cord blood stem cells and access other topical information. Information on our website is not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company intends to continue offering cord blood and cord tissue banking services to expectant parents and relying on both online advertising and its national team of field cord blood educators to enroll new clients. A

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significant portion of its new enrollments are generated from returning customers and referrals. Many of the Company’s clients choose to enter into either multiyear storage contracts, which results in deferred revenues that are recognized over the life the storage contracts.

Our public units are listed on the NMDP registry, which is connected to all other major international registries. NMDP has a contract with the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), part of the Human Health Services Department of the US government, to be the single point of access for bone marrow, peripheral blood and cord blood for transplant centers needing stem cells for transplant.

Additionally, the Company has definitive license agreements to market the Company’s umbilical cord blood stem cell programs in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Competition

Growth in the number of families banking their newborn’s cord blood stem cells has been accompanied by an increasing landscape of competitors. The Company competes against approximately 25 other national private cord blood banks.

Some of these competitors may have access to greater financial resources. Nevertheless, the Company believes it is currently well positioned to compete in the industry. Importantly, the Company believes that some competitors charge more for comparable (or even inferior) quality service. In addition, the Company possesses an industry-recognized AABB accreditation, and believes that it was the first private cord blood bank to process in a cGMP- and cGTP-compliant facility exceeding current FDA requirements. During 2014, the Company was granted FACT (the Foundation for the Accreditation for Cellular Therapy) accreditation. These achievements position Cryo-Cell as an industry quality leader as a cGMP- and cGTP-compliant private cord blood bank with AABB and FACT accreditations.

The Company believes that its longevity and experience; value-based pricing strategy; superior customer service; premier technical and operational expertise; state-of-the-art facilities; innovative marketing programs and its expansive client base will continue to provide a competitive advantage.

Government Regulation

The Company is required to register with the FDA under the Public Health Service Act because of its ongoing cellular storage business and is subject to FDA inspection. This requirement applies to all establishments engaged in the recovery, processing, storage, labeling, packaging, or distribution of any Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products (“HCT/Ps”) or the screening or testing of a cell or tissue donor. In addition, with the purchase of the manufacturing rights to the PrepaCyte CB Processing System on June 30, 2015, Cryo-Cell is required to register this product as a Medical Device under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which is also subject to FDA inspection. At November 30, 2025 and November 30, 2024, the Company was in compliance with these requirements.

The division of FDA which regulates HCT/Ps is the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (“CBER”). The section of FDA Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) pertaining to cord blood is 21 CFR 1271. Since 2004, the FDA has formulated a “Tissue Action Plan” which consists of these three rules:

1.
As of January 21, 2004, all cord blood banks are required to register with the FDA. Any cord blood bank which has a laboratory should be on the web page of FDA Registered Establishments.

2.
The second rule was published May 20, 2004, and became effective May 25, 2005. It pertains to donor eligibility. This rule requires more screening of donors for communicable diseases.

3.
The final rule establishes FDA standards of current Good Tissue Practice (“GTP”) for laboratories which process HCT/Ps. This rule was published November 19, 2004, became effective May 25, 2005, and is intended to prevent contamination or cross-contamination during the handling of HCT/Ps.

These three FDA rules apply only to cord blood processed on or after the effective date of May 25, 2005. The final rule allows the FDA to inspect cord blood laboratories to determine compliance with the provisions of 21 CFR Part 1271. As part of this oversight authority, the FDA conducts unannounced inspections of cord blood banks.

Upon execution of the acquisition of all of the assets of Cord:Use, the Company acquired the cord blood operations which included both public (PHS 351) and private (PHS 361) banks. The Company closed the Cord:Use

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location and maintains its operations in Oldsmar, FL. The new PHS 351 product is distributed under an IND (10-CBA) maintained by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). The Company has continued the contract with Duke University initiated by Cord:Use to manufacture, test, cryopreserve, store and distribute the public cord blood units. The units are listed on the NMDP Single Point of Access Registry and are available to transplant centers worldwide. The Company is reimbursed via cost recovery for public cord blood units distributed for transplant through the NMDP. The donation of cord blood units in the public cord blood banking program functions under The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and the Company adheres to HIPAA rules. The FDA does not require establishments that manufacture drugs (including biological products) and devices that are HCT/Ps for use under an investigational new drug application (IND) (21 CFR Part 312) to register and list their HCT/Ps until the HCT/P is approved through a biologics license application (BLA), new drug application (NDA), or premarket approval application (PMA); or cleared through a premarket notification submission (510(k)).

The PrepaCyte CB (Cord Blood) Processing System is intended for use in cell processing laboratories to process and store total nucleated cells (TNC) from human umbilical cord blood, prior to banking. The device is composed of three integrally attached processing and storage containers with separation media or as a multi one-time use processing system. The system is 510(k) cleared as a Class II device. The division of the FDA which regulates this product is the Center of Biologics Evaluation and Research (“CBER”). Approval to market the device was determined by the Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies. The section of FDA Code of Federal Regulations (“CFR”) pertaining to medical device is 21 CFR 800s. The requirements for compliance to this section include annual registration of the device, listing of devices with the FDA, good manufacturing practice, labeling, and prohibitions against misbranding and adulteration.

Currently, the states of California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York require cord blood banks to be registered or licensed. The Company is currently registered or licensed to operate in these states. If the Company identifies other states with licensing requirements or if other states adopt such requirements, the Company would have to obtain licenses or registration to continue providing cord blood services in those states.

Federal and state laws govern the Company’s ability to obtain and, in some cases, to use and disclose data that we may need to conduct certain activities. The HIPAA requires the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a series of regulations establishing standards for the electronic transmission of certain health information. The Company’s private cord blood bank operation is not subject to HIPAA because the Company does not engage in certain electronic transactions related to the reimbursement of healthcare providers and because blood and tissue procurement and banking activities are exempt. However, the healthcare providers that collect umbilical cord blood for the Company’s customers are subject to HIPAA. The identifiable information shared is only what is permitted by HIPAA. In 2009, a portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 modified HIPAA under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”). While the Company is still not subject to HIPAA for the reasons stated above the Company may incur material expenses associated with compliance efforts. In addition, compliance may require management to spend substantial time and effort on compliance measures. If the Company fails to comply with HIPAA, it is possible it could suffer criminal and civil penalties. The civil penalties could include monetary penalties ranging from $100 per violation to $1.5 million depending on the level of violation.

The Company is also subject to local, state and federal laws and regulations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and manufacturing practices and the use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances. These laws include the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA"), cGTPs, cGMPs, Environmental Protection Act and those of the local Department of Health.

OSHA requires all employers to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women through development and implementation of work standards, education, and training. OSHA enforces the standards developed under the Act, applicable to all employers in the U.S. and its territories. cGTPs are laws, enforced by the FDA, that define and govern methods used in the manufacture of Human Cells, Tissues, and cellular and tissue-based Products (HCT/Ps). Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) are laws, enforced by the FDA, that define and govern methods used in the manufacture of drugs and finished pharmaceuticals. Both of the latter federal practices, or laws, govern the Company’s products.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) governs the management and proper disposal of products and by-products or waste. These products must be disposed in a manner that does not adversely affect the environment from which it came or where disposed of. The Department of Health on the local level primarily regulates systems and associated equipment employed in recovery activities such as back-up generators; therefore, governing specific internal processes.

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Evolving legislation and regulations governing private cord blood banking in various jurisdictions throughout the world may impact the Company’s international licensees.

In addition, as the organization grows and evolves, other legislation and regulations are expected to impact the Company. One such evolution involves activities that may be designated as or involve medical research or cooperative agreements associated with medical research. These types of activities are also governed by the FDA, specifying oversight by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB is a board or committee that approves the initiation of, and conducts periodic review of, biomedical research involving human subjects. The primary purpose of such review is to assure the protection of the rights and welfare of the human subjects. Governance of biomedical research is codified as laws by Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 56, and enforced by the FDA. Other medical research associated with clinical trials may require an Investigational New Drug Application (IND). Current Federal law requires that a drug be the subject of an approved marketing application before it is transported or distributed across state lines. Because a sponsor will likely want to ship the investigational drug to clinical investigators in many states, it must seek an exemption from that legal requirement. The IND is the means through which the sponsor technically obtains this exemption from the FDA. This approval would be required in the case of a clinical trial.

License Agreement with Duke University

As previously disclosed, the Company entered into a Patent and Technology License Agreement dated effective as of February 23, 2021 (as amended, the "Duke License Agreement") with Duke University (“Duke”), pursuant to which Duke granted to the Company an exclusive license to make, have made, use, import, offer for sale, sell and otherwise commercially exploit (with the right to sublicense) certain licensed products and to practice certain licensed processes, and the exclusive right to use certain regulatory data and technical information in connection with such licensed patent rights, in the treatment, prevention, cure, reduction, mitigation or other management of certain diseases in humans, except, with regard to certain patent rights, in certain excluded fields of use and in certain territories, subject to Duke’s reserved rights to practice the licensed rights for all research, public service, internal (including clinical) and/or educational purposes. The Duke License Agreement was amended pursuant to the First Amendment to License Agreement dated February 4, 2022 and the Second Amendment to License Agreement dated February 17, 2023.

Through the Duke License Agreement, the Company had anticipated, either directly or through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Celle Corp., exploring, testing, and administering treatments to patients for which there are limited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved therapies, including cerebral palsy and autism. These treatments were expected to utilize the unique immunomodulatory and potential regenerative properties derived from cord blood and cord tissue. Through the Duke License Agreement, the Company intended to develop three business units, namely: (1) its cord blood bank and other storage services (its historical business); (2) cord blood and cord tissue infusion clinic services initially under the FDA's Expanded Access Program and in conjunction with the undertaking of cord blood and cord tissue clinical trials to obtain biologics license application (“BLA”) approvals for new indications, and (3) biopharmaceutical manufacturing if BLA(s) were approved by the FDA. Additionally, to support such business expansion, the Company had anticipated opening and launching the Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies, which it initially hoped to open as early as the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, but no later than the first quarter of fiscal 2022 (and more recently reported as anticipated to open during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024).

However, due to Duke’s conduct, the Company has not been able to make the progress it had hoped to make in expanding patient access to innovative infusion treatments and has been prevented from commercializing the rights licensed under the Duke License Agreement, treating patients and otherwise obtaining the benefits of the Duke License Agreement. As such, after attempts to reach compromise, on October 4, 2024, the Company filed a demand for arbitration (the “Arbitration Demand”) with the American Arbitration Association. Among other things, the Company alleges in the Arbitration Demand that Duke fraudulently induced Cryo-Cell to enter the Duke License Agreement and breached it on various occasions. The Arbitration Demand includes five counts against Duke, as follows: Count I – Breach of the Duke License Agreement; Count II – Breach of the Implied Contractual Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Count III – Fraudulent Inducement to Enter into the Duke License Agreement; Count IV – Violation of North Carolina’s Unfair Trade Practices Act; and Count V – Unjust Enrichment.

In connection therewith, the Company has requested an award in the Company’s favor and against Duke for damages in an amount to be proved at a final hearing, interest, attorneys’ fees, and arbitration fees and costs, along with all other relief to which the Company is entitled at law or in equity. The Company has notified Duke that it believes such damages are in excess of $100 million.

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On November 18, 2024, Duke responded to the Arbitration Demand and asserted counterclaims against the Company which Duke amended on March 24, 2025 for breach of the License Agreement and indemnity, seeking unspecified damages and related relief. On December 12, 2024, the Company filed an answering statement in response to Duke’s counterclaims. A final hearing on the Company's claims and Duke's counterclaims is scheduled for April 2026.

In Q4 2024, the Company made the final payment of $187,400 under the Clinical Study and Research Agreement that the Company entered into with Duke dated March 3, 2023 in connection with the Second Amendment to the Duke License Agreement. As previously disclosed, the Duke License Agreement also imposes certain future royalty payment obligations, an obligation to pay certain legal fees and expenses associated with related patents, and an obligation to pay Duke $2,000,000 two years after the first patient or subject is treated in the first Phase III clinical trial of a licensed product comprising mesenchymal stromal cells for an indication other than Autism Spectrum Disorder, of which there can be no assurances.

In fiscal 2021, the Company capitalized $15,372,382 in connection with the Duke License Agreement, which was considered to be an asset acquisition and which represented the costs to obtain the Duke License Agreement, and also recorded a corresponding liability to Duke for the Duke License Agreement. The Company was amortizing these costs over 16 years. However, during fiscal 2023, the Company recognized that there were indications of impairment of the assets associated with the Duke License Agreement. The Company evaluated the triggering events that existed as of November 30, 2023, tested the asset group for recoverability and measured the long-lived asset impairment. As a result, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company recorded an impairment charge of the full carrying value of $13,108,064.

As stated above, through the Duke License Agreement, the Company had intended to expand to a triad of core business units to include: (1) its cord blood bank and other storage services; (2) cord blood and cord tissue infusion clinic services initially under the FDA's Expanded Access Program and in conjunction with the undertaking of cord blood and cord tissue clinical trials to obtain BLA approvals for new indications, and (3) biopharmaceutical manufacturing if BLA(s) were approved by the FDA. The Company has received from Duke a notice of termination of the License Agreement as of May 17, 2025. Duke’s notice of termination is based on its claim that the Company breached the Duke License Agreement, which Duke asserted after the Company filed its Arbitration Demand against Duke with the American Arbitration Association alleging that Duke fraudulently induced Cryo-Cell to enter the Duke License Agreement and that Duke breached the agreement on various occasions. As of the date hereof, it is unlikely the Company will be able to expand its business into business units (2) and (3) above through the Duke License Agreement.

Until the Duke dispute is resolved, the Company does not anticipate making further investments in activities related to the Duke License Agreement. The opening of the Cryo-Cell Institute for Cellular Therapies is on pause. The Company can make no assurances as to when or if it will be opened. Also, the proposed spinoff of Celle Corp. is on hold and may not take place depending on the final outcome of the Duke dispute. See “Risk Factors” and Notes 12 and 18.

Subsidiaries and Joint Ventures

Since its inception, Cryo-Cell has entered into a number of business activities through subsidiaries and joint ventures, including the following activities and those described under “International” below. The Company continues to evaluate and pursue, certain opportunities for global expansion, on a selective basis, in which operational synergies and economic potential align with Cryo-Cell’s strategic direction.

Revenue Sharing Agreements (“RSAs”)

The Company entered into RSAs prior to 2002 with various third and related parties. The Company’s RSAs provide that in exchange for a non-refundable up-front payment, the Company would share for the duration of the RSA a percentage of its future revenue derived from the annual storage fees related to a certain number of specimens that originated from specific geographical areas. The RSAs have no definitive term or termination provisions. The sharing applies to the storage fees collected for all specified specimens in the area covered by the RSA up to the number covered in the RSA. When the number of specimens is filled, any additional specimens stored in that area are not subject to the RSA. As empty spaces result from attrition, the Company has agreed to fill them as soon as possible. The Company reflects these up-front payments as long-term liabilities on the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The Company does not intend to enter into additional RSAs.

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In the future, the Company could reverse the liability relating to the RSAs up-front payments over an appropriate period of time, based on the Company’s expectations of the total amount of payments it expects to pay to the other party under the particular RSA. However, the RSAs do not establish a finite term or time frame over which to estimate the total payments and the Company had not previously estimated and has concluded that it is not currently practicable to estimate the projected cash flows under the RSAs. At present, the Company intends to defer the reversal of the liability, until such time as these amounts can be determined. During the periods when the Company defers the reversal of the liability, the quarterly payments made during these periods are treated as interest expense, which is recognized as the payments become due. In future periods, if a portion of the liability can be de-recognized based on the effective interest method, the payments will be allocated between interest and amortization of the liability. As cash is paid out to the other party during any period, the liability would be de-recognized based on the portion of the total anticipated payouts made during the period, using the effective interest method. That is, a portion of the payment would be recorded as interest expense, and the remainder would be treated as repayment of principal, which would reduce the liability.

Florida. On February 9, 1999, the previous Arizona RSAs were modified and replaced by an RSA for the state of Florida for a price of $1,000,000. During fiscal 2016, 50% of the RSA for the state of Florida was repurchased by the Company. The RSA applies to net storage revenues originating from specimens from within the state of Florida less a deduction for billing and collection fees. The RSA entitles the investors to revenues of up to a maximum of 33,000 storage spaces.

Texas. On May 31, 2001, the Company entered into an RSA with Red Rock Partners, an Arizona general partnership, entitling them to on-going shares in a portion of the Company’s net storage revenue generated by specimens originating from within the state of Texas for a price of $750,000. The investors are entitled to a 37.5% share of net storage revenues less a deduction for billing and collection fees for specimens originating in the state of Texas to a maximum of 33,000 storage spaces. During fiscal 2008, Red Rock assigned 50% of their interest in the agreement to SCC Investments, Inc., an Arizona corporation. Subsequent to November 30, 2009, SCC Investments, Inc. assigned its interest to SCF Holdings, LLC, an Arizona limited liability company. During fiscal 2016, 50% of the RSA for the state of Texas was repurchased by the Company.

The Company made total payments to all RSA holders of $1,116,352 and $1,058,311 for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2025 and November 30, 2024 respectively, exclusive of termination and repurchase payments. The Company recorded an RSA accrual of $1,358,059 and $1,344,866 as of November 30, 2025 and November 30, 2024, respectively, related to interest owed to the RSA holders, which is included in accrued expenses. The Company also recorded interest expense of $1,129,545 and $1,326,766 for the fiscal years ended November 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which is reflected in interest expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

License Agreements

The Company has definitive license agreements to market the Company’s umbilical cord blood stem cell programs in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama (“affiliates”). Under the marketing agreements, the Company earns processing and storage revenues from affiliates that store specimens in the Company's facility.

Employees

At November 30, 2025, the Company had 72 full-time employees and 4 part-time employees on the staff of the Company. Additional employees and staff will be hired on an "as needed" basis. The Company believes its relationship with its employees is good. None of our employees are members of any labor union, and we are not a party to any collective bargaining agreement.

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