We’re proud to be an Official Participant of World Cord Blood Day 2020 taking place today, 17th November. This year’s conference will be held virtually joining together experts from around the world to educate attendees on the current uses of cord blood stem cells, their potential and valuable research findings into this area of medicine.
Dr Frances Verter, Founder and Director of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation describes cord blood as “the most versatile source of stem cells for patients with blood cancers because the donor and the patient do not have to be perfectly matched” and notes that since 1988, there have been over 40,000 cord blood transplants worldwide.
Cord blood stem cells are currently being used to treat over 80 life-threatening diseases including many blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukaemia. Dr Paul Hole, a member of our Research Review Committee said: “Cord blood is a vital resource for leukaemia research. It is rich in healthy stem cells which can be compared with abnormal leukaemia cells, enabling scientists to understand what makes leukaemia cells different and therefore how to target them.”
As an Official Participant of World Cord Blood Day, we’re using our social media platforms to share information on cord blood stem cells and interesting insights from our experts. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter to learn more and help us spread the word.
World Cord Blood Day started from a need to expand cord blood education globally and has continued to grow each year attracting expecting parents, doctors and healthcare professionals from across the globe to learn about the benefits and uses of cord blood.
Zoe Gillings-Brier, our Ambassador and four-time Winter Olympian, has banked both of her children’s umbilical cord blood stem cells. Zoe said: “Umbilical cord blood stem cell banking isn’t something I’d heard of before, so I was fascinated to learn that cord blood stem cells are currently being used to treat cancers and life-threatening diseases, as well as being used to repair sporting injuries”.
To register for World Cord Blood Days’ virtual conference visit: www.worldcordbloodday.org/ and explore the wide range of resources available, as well as participating in fun interactive games including bingo, crosswords and a cord blood quiz.
We’re passionate about making cord blood banking a service accessible to all families, which is why we launched the Model Cell Biobank in 2015 to provide expectant parents with the opportunity to bank their baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use. Qualifying families can benefit from our part-funded and fully-funded offering.
Dr Joanna Tilley, Operations Director at LMRUK said: “Storing umbilical cord stem cells is not widely spoken about, but the benefits of using stem cells to fight blood cancer and other diseases and conditions are remarkable.
“Our Model Cell Biobank service aims to give families who cannot afford to store their baby’s cord blood stem cells the opportunity to do this through our fully-funded and part-funded offering.”
For more information on our Model Cell Biobank visit: https://lmruk.org/model-cell-biobank-service/.
