AlphaCord The Cord Blood Preservation Experts

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Daily Mail (London)

September 16, 2008 Tuesday
1ST Edition

Adults Saved By Blood From Babies' Umbilical Cords

BYLINE: JEROME BURNE

SECTION: Pg. 48

LENGTH: 930 words
AFTER being diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago, Lita Jempson underwent five courses of chemotherapy. It was harsh, but the disease went into remission. Then last year the cancer returned.

Doctors had hoped a bone marrow donor could be found for the 39-yearold housewife from Kent, but no match was available. It seemed the only hope was more chemotherapy.

Then five months ago, Lita was offered a cutting-edge treatment using a special type of blood — taken from a newborn's umbilical cord.

'So far it seems to have worked,' she so it says. 'I'm clear of cancer, back home and, while not fully recovered, I'm feeling a lot better.' Blood donations have been used to save lives since World War I.

But over the past decade, cord blood donations have started to transform the treatment of blood disorders such as leukaemia..

What makes this particular blood so valuable is that it contains large amounts of stem cells, which the body uses to make blood cells.

Removing the blood is painless; it is collected immediately after birth by a doctor or midwife and takes only a few minutes. About five teaspoons are taken from the cut cord and placenta, using a needle connected to a sterile bag.

But lack of storage facilities has meant this life-saver often ends up in hospital incinerators.

That is set to change thanks to the opening this week of the
Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre, an umbilical cord blood bank in Nottingham. Now an increasing number of hospitals will be collecting and storing cord blood.

As well as saving lives, scientists believe stem cells from cord blood could revolutionize the treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.