Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Banking Service - Richard Branson Launches Virgin Health Bank

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 01 Feb 2007 - 8:00 PST

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Today sees the beginning of a new era for storing umbilical cord blood stem cells with the launch of Virgin Health Bank.

A growing number of parents are banking their child's stem cells - where cells are collected from the umbilical cord blood and stored in a laboratory at extremely low temperatures - in the hope that these cells could be used should their child develop certain blood disorders.

However, the reality is that in a child's early years, their own stem cells are unlikely to help them if they have a condition such as leukaemia.  A child with these types of disorders is more likely to need healthy donated cells, not their own.  Many parents store their child's stem cells wholly privately, yet there is a global shortage of matched stem cells available to patients who need life saving treatments.

That's why Virgin Health Bank has designed a dual - private and public - bank.  For the first time ever, parents in the UK have the opportunity to store their child's stem cells both privately and publicly.  With dual banking, parents can access their child's stem cells for the future possibilities of regenerative medicine, and can also donate cells to anyone who needs them for treatments today, including their own family. 

Richard Branson said at today's launch: "I believe that Virgin Health Bank has an important role to play in making more of these special cells available to those who need them today and in the future. 

"Although Cord Blood collection in many areas of the world is now common practice, in the UK there is still a misunderstanding of the different types of stem cells," Richard continued.  "We are dealing with adult stem cells, those taken from umbilical cord blood, which is normally discarded after a child is born.  Using these cells as treatments presents no ethical issues and the benefits for patients today are widely accepted.

"Over the last few years I have received many letters from distraught parents who were unable to find either bone marrow or stem cell matches for their sick children.  I talk to many doctors and professionals in this field and it is increasingly apparent that there simply are not enough stem cells being collected in the UK.  We all know that the NHS has limited funds and can only do so much - in fact I was visited by a senior Professor who is very involved in the NHS collection service and it was clear that the main problem is the lack of stem cells available to the UK population as a whole.  This is why we believe that the dual - private and public - approach at Virgin Health Bank is the best way to help alleviate this situation."

Professor Stephen Proctor, Professor of Haematological Oncology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne said:  "In my experience in transplantation, cord blood stem cells can offer some major benefits to a wide range of patients.  There are children, with rare immune deficiencies, who have undergone transplants in Newcastle and are living proof of that.  When I think of the advances medicine has made since I started my medical training, the speed of development is getting faster and faster.  However, I think the UK is falling behind other parts of the world in embracing cord stem cell technology for adults, and anything which raises awareness and adoption of the use of cord stem cells will be incredibly valuable."

In the last 18 years more than 7000 patients have been treated with cord blood stem cells transplantations in over 150 countries.  The vast majority of these cases have been allogeneic (cells donated from another person), but many scientists and medical experts believe that the use of autologous treatments (using a person's own cells), in regenerative medicine, will increase.

Regarding future potential Richard said:  "I have been fascinated by the area of regenerative medicine for some time and have had many conversations with medical experts around the world.  Those discussions convinced me that there is huge potential to be gained from the collection & storage of cord blood stem cells and I believe that Virgin can play a big part in helping fulfil that potential. 

"Every generation sees a medical breakthrough that previously would not have been thought possible.  Heart transplants, vaccines and innovative cancer treatments all would have been deemed science fiction a mere generation before their discovery and now these are commonplace.

"I believe," Richard continued, "having talked to many experts, that developments in stem cell technology will change the way we treat diseases such as heart disease or diabetes." 

Professor Colin McGuckin, Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Newcastle, said: "I am dedicated to cord blood research and the possibilities are incredible. Advances in cord blood medicine around the world are amazing, with research teams turning the theoretical into reality. Cord blood therapies will become routine and we will save lives."

Although not common in the UK, cord blood banking is more widespread in other parts of the world, such as the US.  Gayl Chrysler, former National Director of Operations for the American Red Cross Cord Blood Bank has over 25 years experience in the area and says:  "I passionately believe in the value of banking cord blood.  For parents who are considering this for their children, the combination of private and public banking is a great innovation.  Anything that can be done to increase the overall number of collections is hugely positive."

Richard said: "The moment of a child's birth is also the moment of their greatest opportunities in every way.  I want us to do everything we can to help them achieve their full potential and stem cell banking is a seemingly small but potentially significant step in doing that."

And he revealed:  "I have made a personal commitment that all future proceeds from Virgin Health Bank to the Virgin Group or myself will be donated to charitable initiatives that are helping to fully realise the potential of cord blood stem cells. An example of this is supporting the Anthony Nolan Trust in its plans for a new, ethnically diverse, cord blood stem cell public bank.

-- The cost of banking a child's umbilical cord blood stem cells with Virgin Health Bank is £1,500

-- There is a payment plan for customers choosing to pay by instalments

-- Parents wishing to find out more information should visit: http://www.virginhealthbank.com

-- Virgin Health Bank is a partnership between Virgin and Merlin Biosciences.

http://www.virginhealthbank.com