Baby cord 'bank' nearing launch

Stem cells can be used for life-saving treatment

Stem cells from babies born in Scotland are soon to be collected for the country's first national bank of umbilical cord blood.

The special store will be opened next month by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

Stem cells are already being used in transplants on adults and children with leukaemia, cancer and other diseases.

Until now the only real choice for parents north of the border had been to pay to have the cells stored privately.

From next month Scotland will be home to its own national bank with parents donating their newborns' cord blood to help anyone for whom it might match.

What we are looking at is a more global approach to treating patients and having a bank for people in the 40s and 50 who can go and get help Ian Franklin Scottish Blood Transfusion Service

Ian Franklin, national medical director at the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service, said: "We are organising our own bank where people can give freely and voluntarily to help others.

"We are trying to help any potential patient in the future, not necessarily one who has remembered or been fortunate to have had their stem cells put by.

"We believe the chances of anyone needing or using their own stem cells is pretty remote.

"But there are millions of people who never stored their own stem cells and never will, so what we are looking at is a more global approach to treating patients and having a bank for people in the 40s and 50 who can go and get help."

Training programme

Umbilical cord blood is an enriched source of stem cells which come from blood in the placenta.

When they are transplanted by intravenous injection, the cells can generate a whole new system of white and red blood cells.

In the next few weeks midwives in Glasgow will be going through training so they can collect the cord blood from new mothers who want to donate.

If she had an illness and these were required we don't need to find a match, she has her own stem cells there for usage Donna Hood

The hope is that in future, stem cell technology can be used to help people with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other illnesses.

Mother Donna Hood, from Lanarkshire, is paying to have blood from her daughter Rhea's umbilical cord stored.

She said: "You take car insurance, you hope nothing happens to your car, you'll take house insurance, you hope your house doesn't burn down - to me this is an insurance policy.

"I certainly hope I never require to use the stem cells but if she had an illness and these were required we don't need to find a match, she has her own stem cells there for usage."

The only other opportunity to take and store stem cells is by going to private companies such as Cryo-care which charges about £1,000.

The company attended a baby fair in Scotland recently to promote its service which it says is an insurance policy for the future.