LMRUK: Storing our baby’s cord blood stem cells

THE death of a work colleague from Leukaemia and another friend’s diagnosis with the disease was the spark mother Natalie Harrop needed to prompt her to bank the stem cells from her new baby’s umbilical cord.

Natalie and partner Gary Hardwick-Bishop from Newport, South Wales, arranged to have baby Arthur’s cord blood stem cells harvested with the help of charity Leukaemia and Myeloma Research UK’s cord blood banking service, the Model Cell Biobank.

Banking stem cells from a baby’s umbilical cord is effective biological health insurance, providing options for treatment if the child or another member of the family needs the stem cells in the future because of a serious illness, including blood cancer.

Natalie said:

“We didn’t really know anything about the procedure but having a friend at work die from Leukaemia and another diagnosed while I was pregnant made me more aware and I found out about what was involved.”

She said the process was straightforward with Gary contacting the phlebotomist when Natalie went into labour. She said:

“It was really straightforward. I really don’t know why we aren’t storing babies’ stem cells as a matter of course – it seems such a simple yet important thing to do.”

Natalie, who has three other children, aged from eight to 18, said she didn’t believe the process was available when they were born, but she would definitely recommend it to others.

Leukaemia and Myeloma Research UK (LMRUK) recently joined forces with Smart Cells International, the UK’s first private stem cell storage company to procure, process and store cord blood stem cells through the Model Cell Biobank.

It allows qualifying families to bank their newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use if necessary. The service is part-funded for some families and fully funded for others, depending on circumstances.

Dr Joanna Tilley, the charity’s Operations Director said:

“Cord blood stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord and placenta when a baby is born and is often thrown away at birth. However, these vital stem cells can be used in the treatment of blood cancer, which is an area we are deeply passionate about.”

She said Smart Cells and LMRUK are both committed to utilising stem cells as a treatment for blood cancer and life-threatening illnesses to protect the next generation through more effective treatments.

Headquartered in West Drayton, near Heathrow Airport, Smart Cells has over 20 years of experience in cord blood banking and is now part of the FamiCord Group.

Medical research is revealing new potential uses for stem cells to treat disease. One day it may be possible to use them in emerging therapies to treat diseases such as diabetes, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s Disease. Clinical trials are being performed all over the world looking at the potential use of stem cells to treat new diseases and hopefully further breakthroughs.

For more information about LMRUK’s Model Cell Biobank, please visit: https://lmruk.org/model-cell-biobank-service/.