Company offers stem cell storage

A biotech company is about to launch its umbilical cord blood cell storage service in the UK. For a fee of £600, parents will be able to store blood stem cells from their newborn baby's umbilical cord for up to 20 years. Blood stem cells, also present in the bone marrow, are capable of developing into any type of blood cell. 'Essentially it's an insurance policy against your child getting some form of disease for which he or she needs a bone marrow transplant' said gynaecologist Derek Tuffnell of Bradford Royal Infirmary, who is involved in setting up the project.

Currently, treatment for leukaemia and other rare blood disorders is reliant on a bone marrow transplant from a matched donor. But the body's immune system may still reject donated blood stem cells, a problem which could be avoided by using the patient's own cord blood cells. However, Tuffnell warned that the amount of blood in an umbilical cord - around 50 to 60 millilitres - might not be enough to treat a full-grown adult.

Recent advances in stem cell research have shown that blood stem cells may be capable of developing into a range of other body tissues, such as brain cells. This raises the possibility that cord blood taken at birth could one day be used to treat illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and strokes. Shamshed Ahmed, of Cryo-Care UK, said the company could guarantee the cells would survive for at least 20 years. 'After 2020 we will have to look to see if we can extend the scheme further, and I anticipate that should be possible' he added.