What does Virgin Health Bank do?
We provide an HTA accredited state of the art storage service for parents-to-be who’d like to store stem cells from their newborn baby’s umbilical cord blood.Why is Virgin going into umbilical cord blood stem cell banking?
Along with many scientists and doctors, we passionately believe in the potential of cord blood stem cells in both the treatment of diseases today and in accessing the benefits of regenerative medicine in the future. Virgin Health Bank was founded to provide parents with an accessible state of the art storage service for their baby’s stem cells and to promote this exciting development in medical technology.How does the Virgin Health Bank service work?
Once your baby's stem cells are safely collected, tested, stored and tissue-typed, the details of your banked stem cells will be included on an international register alongside those of others. The register provides doctors with a resource from which they can request donations for treatments. These are used in circumstances where a tissue typed unit is required rather than the patient's own. By contributing to the development of this international registry you maximise the availability of stem cell treatment, for your own family and others. By helping others you also help yourself by helping to develop a community stem cell bank from which your own family may benefit.Isn’t there already a public cord blood bank in the UK?
Yes. In a handful of hospitals in and around London, parents can arrange to donate their baby's cord blood stem cells through the Haemopoietic Stem Cells Services Division of the National Blood Service. These are called 'altruistic donations' and once donated, the units are available to anyone who may need them.What are Virgin’s credentials for this?
Virgin are passionate about delivering services which consumers really value. After talking to parents to be we recognised that they wanted to deal with an organisation and brand that they trust to deliver excellent service in this area and have built a business to provide them with a high quality stem cell storage service. We have a laboratory that has attained a Human Tissue Authority licence and gained accreditation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. We comply with all relevant UK and EU regulatory standards, and get on-going advice from independent scientific, medical, ethical and medico-legal experts.Is Virgin Health Bank involved in research using stem cells?
No none of the stem cells stored by Virgin Health Bank are used for anything other than medical treatments.Is Richard Branson involved in this business?
As the majority shareholder in the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson is involved in every Virgin company. As with his other companies, he’s been a driving force in making Virgin Health Bank a reality. And he really is passionate about the opportunities for stem cell transplantation and regenerative medicine, so much so that he has made a personal commitment that all proceeds from Virgin Health Bank to the Virgin Group will be donated to initiatives that are helping to fully realise the potential of cord blood stem cells.How do I find out more or apply to have my baby’s stem cells stored?
Just call us on 0845 620 9665. We're here from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. Or click on apply now and you can leave your contact details for one of our customer support advisors to call you back.How long before my due date do I need to join?
It’s really up to you, but we recommend that you wait until after your 12-week scan. Ideally, you should have at least one month left before your due date as its best not to rush your decision, there’s some important paperwork to be completed and we need to make sure you have the collection kit in time for your baby’s birth.
Yes. The cord blood stem cell unit placed in the public bank is donated to be made generally available for anyone needing it for transplantation. If you need the cord blood unit back for a medical reason, and it’s still available, then we can liaise with you and your doctor and arrange to return it.
Who are the Virgin Health Bank Local Advisors?
The Virgin Health Bank Local Advisors is a team wholly dedicated to working with healthcare professionals who are involved in maternity services. Each member of this team is experienced in working with NHS professionals, they have an understanding of the issues they may face and are knowledgeable about the latest scientific data in this area.
Do I have to donate cells to the public bank?
Increasing the size of a public bank greatly increases the likelihood of more matched cord blood stem cell units being available for treatments, which is beneficial to everyone… including you and your family.
With Virgin Health Bank, is the unit donated to the public bank available to me?
Yes. The cord blood stem cell unit placed in the public bank is donated to be made generally available for anyone needing it for transplantation. If you need the cord blood unit back for a medical reason, and it's still available, then we can liaise with you and your doctor and arrange to return it.What would happen if Virgin Health Bank went out of business?
In the unlikely event of Virgin Health Bank ceasing to operate as a business there is financial provision , an escrow account, made for the continued safe storage of all the cord blood stem cell units stored for the full 20 years of individual’s contracts with Virgin Health Bank.
