In order to get doctors to offer parents the option of storing their baby’s umbilical cord blood, an MP is set to launch a political bid.
A bill regarding the potentially life-saving technique will be presented to Parliament by Tory MP David Burrowes.
Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells. Many diseases can currently be treated using these cells, and with technological advances, many more will be treated in the future.
Since NHS provision is limited to only a handful of trusts, a host of private firms have begun offering the service.
Used to treat anyone who needs stem cells for a blood cell disorder, 2000 samples are taken by the NHS each year to supply the NHS Cord Blood Bank.
But matches have been difficult to find at times. Among those cases, patients in ethnic minority groups are most likely to not find a match.
Cord blood storage is often advertised as an insurance policy by private banks since the cells can be used in the future to treat illness. However the prices for private storage are as high as
