Why should I consider this?

Increasing numbers of parents-to-be around the world are choosing to save their baby's cord blood stem cells in private storage banks. But we believe there's a better way to store baby's stem cells. And it could bring more benefits to more people.

In your child's early years, their own stem cells are unlikely to help if they fall ill - if stem cells could help treat their illness then it's likely they'd need healthy, donated cells. If you're serious about saving cord blood stem cells from your baby's umbilical cord, this is information you need upfront.

It's also information we've used in designing a completely new way to bank cord blood stem cells. Virgin Health Bank is a dual - private and public - bank. The private bank holds your baby's stem cells just for your family, and the public bank for anyone needing donated stem cells, but still including your family.

We believe that dual banking offers more benefits to more people - the public bank increases the availability of cord blood stem cell for use in treatments generally, and the private bank gives your child and your family access to the possibilities of regenerative medicine in the future.

This is what we think you should consider before making any decisions:

• The chances of a child ever needing its own stem cells for treatment in their early years are really very small - estimates range from 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 20,000. The reality is that children with an illness such as leukaemia are more likely to need healthy, donated cells (not their own), so wholly privately banked stem cells are very unlikely to help.
• It's acknowledged that there's a global shortage of matched stem cells, so the more stem cell units stored in public banks the better. That way, anyone who needs a donated stem cell treatment is more likely to find a matched unit.
• The promise of regenerative medicine is not here today. However, we - and more importantly, many expert scientists and doctors - believe that its potential could bring many benefits with new treatments for certain illnesses and conditions. To take advantage of this possibility - and this is where the private banks are useful - you’d need to have stored cord blood stem cells.
• The use of regenerative medicine will rely on something called 'cell expansion technology' to increase the numbers of stem cells in a unit. Today, a single cord blood unit is thought to be useful only in people who weigh around 40kg (that’s a little over six stone), so they can’t be used to treat adults. But research in this field is progressing well and the first patented processes are expected by 2010.

Having considered those points, the benefits of dual banking with Virgin Health Bank become pretty clear:

• By placing some of your baby's stem cells in our private bank, they will be stored for 20 years and are available for your family if, in later life, they are needed for possible regenerative medicine treatments.
• And by placing some of your baby's stem cells in our public bank you increase the likelihood of finding a matched unit for anyone who needs it, including you and your family.

Those are the facts - and that's what we'd ask you to consider.

Is it safe?
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