Welcome to the first Future HealthCord Blood Care newsletterKeeping you up to date with what’s happening in the world of stem cell technology and the care of your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells.

The beginning of 2007 is a great time to look back at some of the important research carried out into stem cells over the past 12 months, and to look at the continuing expansion of Future Health, both in the UK and abroad.

Our complete commitment to investing in our premises and services show that you can be assured that your baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells are in the safest possible hands.

Transplants take place - and diseases are treated in children and adults - all over the world. Dr E Gluckman announced in May 2006 at the International Society for Cellular Therapy conference in Berlin, that over 10,000 transplants have already been performed.

Research2006 was an exciting year for research into the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells.

In February, scientists from York University announced the launch of research into creating bone structures from umbilical cord blood. The £1.6m, three-year project could raise the possibility of cord blood stem cells being used to repair bone defects or fractures and ultimately could be used to help hip replacements last longer.

Scientists at Newcastle University announced a partnership with a major American stem cell company in May of last year – bringing new treatments using cord blood stem cells a step closer. The same team made worldwide news in October when it announced the first production of liver tissue from umbilical cord blood stem cells. The researchers involved believe that the liver cells could be used as treatments within the next 10–15 years.

Umbilical cord blood stem cells were also turned into lung cells by US researchers in 2006, opening the possibility of new treatments for lung diseases. Also, the potential use of stem cells to treat heart disease has been a regular news item over the past year, with researchers finding ways to replace dead and malfunctioning cells so weakened heart muscle can regain its pumping power.

In the US, a private cord blood bank has announced the first use of cord blood collected by a family to treat leukaemia. This is a landmark result, as medical opinion has been divided on whether a child could use its own stem cells in cases of cancer. The three-year-old girl with leukaemia was transplanted with her own stored umbilical cord blood after suffering a relapse whilst receiving chemotherapy. Now, more than two years later, the six-year-old is free of the disease.

One of her doctors has been quoted as saying: “The decision made by the parents of our patient to save the umbilical cord blood may have increased the patient’s chances of survival.”

Source: Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library

Developments at Future HealthFuture Health has recently expanded its Nottingham facilities for the second time in the past 12 months to meet the growing demand from parents for umbilical cord blood stem cell banking.

The Nottingham laboratory was first opened in 2002 to provide a secure storage and processing facility for cord blood. January 2006 saw the opening of new offices to enhance customer care, support stem cells operations, and make room for new laboratories to expand the processing capacity.

Now Future Health has acquired an additional 4,500 sq ft building in the Nottingham Science and Technology Park, to accommodate its administrative functions and long-term storage tanks. Samples stored in Nottingham come from the UK, and from over 22 countries around the world.

Roger Dainty, Future Health Technologies Director, said: “Future Health prides itself on being fully licensed by the UK Human Tissue Authority (HTA) for all its activity, from collection methodology to sample storage, and this recent expansion is in response to the ever-increasing number of inquiries about our service.”

Roger Dainty, Future Health Technologies Director.

Future Health Worldwide

Future Health has recently expanded into the Middle East (Jeddah, Rihadh and Dubai), and has seen a rapid increase in collections, which are then transported in hi-tech canisters and transportation boxes to Nottingham UK.

Blood diseases such as thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia, which can both be treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells, are relatively common in the Middle East. This leads to many parents wishing to bank blood in case it may be needed in the future.

Future Health has also entered into a pioneering partnership with an Italian company to bring an umbilical cord blood collection service to Italian parents for the first time.

Roger Dainty, Future Health Technologies Director, said: “Cord blood storage is growing in popularity in the UK and across Europe as a way of potentially safeguarding the future wellbeing of a child, and this is increasingly becoming the case worldwide.”

Future Health joins forces with BountyThis year will see Future Health become the only cord blood stem cell bank to work in partnership with Bounty (UK) Ltd, the organization that aims to help new parents and young families throughout pregnancy and after birth.

Bounty has recognised that Future Health were the first UK private cord blood bank to receive a full 3 year ‘final licence’ from the UK Human Tissue Authority (HTA), and to meet all of the requirements set out by them to store human tissue.

Bounty will be promoting the service to all mums through its pregnancy packs for mums-to-be in 2007.

Future Health hits collection landmarkAlongside the continuing expansion of Future Health’s facilities, an important landmark has been reached with the collection, processing and storage of its 9,000th umbilical cord blood stem cell sample.

Future Health has seen demand for its service increase year on year, with the company optimistic that the numbers of collections will continue to rise in the coming years.

About umbilical cord blood stem cellsStem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. They serve as a sort of repair system for the body and, theoretically, can divide without limit to replenish other cells throughout life. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are already routinely used for a wide range of medical conditions such as leukaemia and sickle cell anaemia. Research is ongoing into the possible use of cord blood stem cells to treat a variety of diseases including type 1 diabetes and liver cancer.

1 Faraday Building, Nottingham Science & Technology Park, University Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 2QP, United KingdomTel: +44 (0)115 967 7707 Fax: +44 (0)115 967 7836 email: info@futurehealth.co.uk website: www.futurehealth.co.uk

Alexa Minnie Roberts

Alison: We’d been trying for years for a baby. So we were both hoping and praying like mad that my last egg would take. Then along came this little miracle!

“ Alexa came from our last IVF egg – so really she was our last hope!”

Alison: When I heard that my final egg had fertilized I just burst out crying. It took both of us about a week to come down from cloud nine. Then about a couple of weeks later, a friend showed me an article about cord blood banking. We both knew almost immediately that this was something we wanted to do for our baby.

“ We had to fight to bring her into the world – so we wanted the birth to be as problem-free as possible!”

Paul: Once we knew all the facts it was only a matter of deciding who we wanted to store Alexa’s cord blood stem cells. We decided on Future Health, partly because we wanted the stem cells banked in the UK, and partly because they seemed to offer the best technology and the best care. And our baby wasn’t going to get anything less!

“ To be honest I didn’t even notice the cord blood being taken.”

Alison: Paul told me afterwards that he saw the surgeon collect it, and it only took a few minutes and looked really easy.

Paul: The birth was at 10.18am, I contacted Future Health at about noon, and the courier arrived to collect Alexa’s cord blood about an hour later. This is something that we only got the chance to do once – and by doing it, we’re helping to protect her health for the next 20 years. And what parent wouldn’t want to do that for their child?

The personal story of one baby’s cord blood collection

As told by mum and dad, Alison and Paul Roberts