On 11 September 2008, Health Secretary Alan Johnson opened a ground-breaking new centre offering a lifeline to thousands of people awaiting crucial transplants.
The Anthony Nolan Trust Cord Blood Bank and combined research institute will store stem cells from the blood of new-born babies’ umbilical cords, to help save lives, and pioneer medical breakthroughs.
The £1.4 million centre at Nottingham Trent University spearheads a multi-million pound project that will call on the generosity of individuals and the support of eminent institutions, and aims to bank 50,000 cord bloods to provide lifesaving transplant matches for almost every patient.'
Initially, mums delivering at London’s King’s College Hospital can donate cord blood; the charity aims to have ten collection centres in the next few years.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: "One of the most rewarding parts of my job as Health Secretary is getting out and meeting staff, volunteers and patients within the health and care sector - it brings policy to life and keeps politicians in touch with grassroots views. On Monday, I was at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where I met some transplant patients and donors - and some people still waiting for that lifesaving donation. Their stories really do put a lot of things into perspective
"For most transplants, the reality is that someone else has to die and donate their organs for another to live. But with bone marrow and cord blood, we of course rely on living donors. Bone marrow can be easily and painlessly donated via a single operation. Cord blood offers further potential to change and save lives. Collected, processed and stored at birth, it becomes part of a global lifesaving resource.
"The Anthony Nolan Trust is already acclaimed worldwide, and the impact of the events here today will be felt globally. The complex will help provide a lifeline for thousands complementing the 12 years' experience of the NHS Cord Blood Bank; and reinforce the UK's role as a research centre of excellence."
The programme builds on the charity’s highly successful Bone Marrow Register of 400,000 potential donors, by offering a new source of stem cells to match an increasingly diverse population.
Cord blood transplants have already been highly successful in renewing bone marrow and regenerating the immune systems of those with life-threatening illnesses including leukaemia, sickle-cell diseases, and immune deficiencies, but there are not enough bone marrow donors available to meet today’s needs.
The charity first expanded into cord blood five years ago, by sourcing donations from overseas; last year it imported 70 cords for UK transplant patients.
Of the 50,000 donations planned for storage by 2013, 20,000 will be suitable for transplantation, and 30,000 for research.
Alan Johnson said, "The work of The Anthony Nolan Trust is already acclaimed worldwide, and the impact of the events here today will be felt globally. The complex will provide a lifeline for thousands, a goldmine for researchers; and reinforce the UK's role as a centre of excellence."
Dr Steve McEwan, the charity’s Chief Executive, said: "This is an exciting new chapter in the development of The Anthony Nolan Trust, and a natural extension of our bone marrow register. The beauty of this new programme will not only be to save the lives of hundreds more patients but also provide researchers the opportunity to develop innovative new treatments using cord blood.”
Mark Behan, father of 11-year-old Caitlin Behan from Northamptonshire, who received a lifesaving cord blood transplant, added: “The thing about cord blood is that it’s just thrown away - but it could save someone’s life.
“Caitlin is amazing now. It has been four years and she’s in the Brownies, plays football, goes riding and swimming. She’s the only girl of her age who wants to grow up and be a haematologist. We feel so lucky to have had every moment.”
Professor Robert Rees, Professor of Tumour Biology, Research Director of the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The School of Science and Technology has a long standing and highly successful research collaboration with The Anthony Nolan Trust spanning the last decade, which has led to discoveries of major importance within the scientific community. This new facility will provide a unique opportunity for our scientists to work with the charity on programmes central to the development of future medical needs.”
Bryan Jackson, Chairman of East Midlands Development Agency (emda) which provided £1.4mtowards the creation of The Anthony Nolan Trust Cord Blood Bank, said: “This will be an invaluable asset for those scientists who are undertaking ground-breaking research into the use of stem cells to cure serious diseases and as a national cord blood bank centre. Our region is establishing an international reputation for its innovative work in the field of healthcare and bioscience and the establishment of this facility further enhances that reputation.”
Professor Ghulam Mufti, Consultant Haematologist, King’s College Hospital, recently marked the hospital’s 1000th stem cell transplant, and said: “This is one of the most exciting and rapidly moving fields in modern medicine, with new techniques being discovered all the time.
“Today, for example, we can offer many more adults real hope, thanks to combining cells from two or more different donors, which was simply not possible just four years ago.”
