Cord Blood Banking and Cord Tissue Storage

Cord blood banking in the UK

Cord blood banking is the process of collecting and storing stem cells extracted from the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It’s a non-invasive and harmless procedure as the stem cells in cord blood are collected after your baby is born, the cord is cut, and the placenta is delivered.

In the past, most placenta was simply thrown away after birth. Today more people are turning to UK cord blood banks to collect and store potentially lifesaving stem cells to protect the future health of children. Stem Protect is a private cord blood bank in the UK that supports thousands of families with cord blood and tissue storage.

Why bank cord blood and tissue?

Stem cells found in the umbilical cord and the placenta at birth are precious to your baby’s future health. They’re important building blocks that could help protect your child’s health in the years ahead. Banking cord blood and tissue after birth ensures these cells are kept safe and secure until they might be required.

Cord blood storage can help safeguard your child’s health. Stem cells in cord blood and tissue can be used in the treatment of life-changing diseases and conditions such as leukaemia. Currently, stem cells in cord blood can be used to help treat more than 80 conditions.

Ongoing important research around the globe brings hope that stem cells can be used to treat even more illnesses. It’s vital that these unique cells are saved and stored in safe conditions for future use. Most umbilical cords and placenta are otherwise disposed of.

Using a cord blood bank such as Stem Protect ensures the precious cells are collected and stored safely in the UK for future use. This includes cord tissue storage in professional and secure facilities and conditions.

How do you bank your children’s stem cells?

Cord blood and tissue banking of your child’s stem cells is simple with Stem Protect:

• Request your information pack – complete our contact form or call 0800 211 83 89.
• Complete and return your agreement to use our cord blood bank.
• We’ll make the necessary arrangements for your big day. This includes appointing a phlebotomist to supervise your cord blood collection and tissue samples.
• Your baby is born – contact your phlebotomist and arrange courier pick-up for your samples.
• Your baby’s cord blood and tissue samples are taken to our secure lab facilities and processed for storage.

What illness can be treated with stem cells from cord blood and tissue?

Some of the many illnesses and conditions now being treated with stem cell therapies include:

• Anaemia
• Leukaemia
• Lymphomas
• Bone marrow cancers
• Immune system disorders
• HIV/AIDS
• Sickle cell disease

At Stem Protect, we’ll look after your child’s stem cell samples as if they were our own. The ultimate care of your child’s current and future health is our number one priority.

What’s the difference between cord blood and tissue?

Cord blood and tissue are both found in and taken from the umbilical cord and placenta at birth. They’re rich in stem cells and banking cord blood and tissue could enable the storage of two different types of stem cells. These can both be used to help treat a variety of illnesses.

The difference between cord blood and tissue is the types of stem cells they contain:

• Cord blood is full of stem cells called haemopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
• Cord tissue contains a different type of stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

What is the cost to store cord blood and cord tissue?

Cord blood banking costs vary depending on your specific needs. Processing, initial storage, and the length of time stem cells are stored all affect the cost of cord blood banking in the UK. The easiest way to find out how much cord blood and tissue storage could cost you is to get in touch for a no-obligation quote.

Speak to one of our experts at Stem Protect today to discuss your requirements and see how much cord blood banking could cost you. Call 0800 211 83 89 or contact us online today.

Our processes used to store cord tissue have been shown to result in the banking of live cells. We’re constantly improving our validation studies to further prove cord tissue samples stored do contain MSCs. This will retain their ability to differentiate into many different tissue types including bone, cartilage and fat after the samples have been frozen.

Currently, as per the HTA guidelines, no one is able to guarantee that the cord tissue stored contains stem cells and the number and quality of these cells.

Order a cord blood collection kit

Read our guide to baby stem cells