NHS stem cell research link up
pharmafile | September 29, 2014 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | NHS, precious cells group, precious cells miracle, stem cell
Precious Cells Miracle, the charitable arm of stem cell firm Precious Cells Group, has partnered with the Croydon Health Services NHS Trust to process and store stem cells extracted from umbilical cord blood and tissue.
This is the first deal of its type for the NHS, and aims to address the ‘significant underfunding’ of UK stem cell banking, according to Precious Cells Miracle (PCM).
PCM says it will ‘significantly increase’ the number of stem cells banked from umbilical cord blood, which will contribute to the key UK target of banking 50,000 stem cells by 2016.
In a statement PCM says it will provide NHS Hospitals with the staff, technology and specialised equipment necessary to perform sterile collections of cord blood.
On top of this, expectant parents will be given the option of privately storing their stem cells with Precious Cells Group (PCG) for their families own immediate use, or of donating their cord blood stem cells to build up the government’s public stem cell bank.
PCG has in addition committed to investing in the partnership by covering the cost of storing and extracting the stem cells, which are then made available for the benefit of the public bank and those that require a transplant.
The group’s charity arm is already working with around 45 Croydon-based GPs and medical drop in centres in a campaign to educate the community about the benefits of both public, and private cord banking.
The partnership, which PCM says will not involve any commitment or expenditure from the Trust’s own budget, will lead to enhanced maternity related services being offered and could generate revenues of around £2 million for the Trust over the term of the partnership.
Research has shown that the quality of services offered by a hospital is a key factor in which hospital expectant parents choose, according to the charity, and the provision of cord blood banking services will result in an increase in expectant parents choosing Croydon Health Services NHS Trust maternity department to have their baby delivered.
Talks are now underway with a further 15 NHS trusts on similar partnerships. The charity says it is aiming to work with NHS maternity departments nationwide to roll out these pioneering collection centres providing access to as many parts of the UK as possible.
More investment
This initiative has been established to address the UK’s ‘insufficient public investment’ in the cord blood stem cell industry, according to PCM.
Both PCM and PCG rely on great awareness and investment on stem cell research to grow their own revenues and do have a commercial interest tied in with this announcement.
Between 2004 and 2005 the UK government paid £25 million to stem cell research and therapy but PCM argues that the targets set ‘were not achieved’ and the number of cord blood stem cell units available for transplant currently remain ‘extremely low’ and ‘insufficient’ for the number of patients requiring them.
It adds that around 400 patients each year miss out on treatment because of a lack of suitable stem cell donors and this new partnership will address this major issue to ensure enough stem cells are available for all that require them.
Ben Adams
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