Yes. All personal data shall be held and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) and we only collect data that is required for the purposes of the cord blood programme. If suitable for transplant the cord blood and donor eligibility details will be listed on national and international registries. We require your permission to review your maternity records to gather demographic and health data. You have a right to see your own health records and correct information held about you.

Your details are safe with us. We promise to protect and respect your privacy. Please refer to our Privacy policy for more information about how we process your data. You can update your preferences at any time by emailing cord.collection@anthonynolan.org

No. Only the number given to the cord blood unit at the hospital is used – no name or personal data is ever associated with it. This number is used to identify it on the registry and at the public cord blood bank.

In the UK, procurement of human tissues and cells which may be used for treatment (including cord blood) must occur on Human Tissue Authority (HTA)-licensed premises or under a third-party agreement (TPA).

In the latter case:

• The individual doing the collection must be procuring cord blood on behalf of an HTA-licensed establishment; and the TPA must meet the requirements set out in the HTA’s Guide to quality and safety assurance of human tissues and cells for patient treatments

• The individual doing the collection must be a healthcare professional who has (a) completed training to the approval of the Designated Individual named on a cord blood establishment’s HTA licence, and (b) has entered into an individual TPA with a HTA-licensed cord blood establishment; or by a healthcare professional who has (a) completed training to the approval of the Designated Individual named on a cord blood establishment’s HTA licence, and (b) is working for a hospital who holds a TPA with a HTA-licensed establishment.

Training ensures that the person collecting the cord blood is competent to undertake cord blood collection. Training will ensure that the risk of physical harm to the mother and child during the cord blood collection is minimised; and, that processes are followed to reduce the possibility of the cord blood being contaminated during collection.

The patient’s partner may only collect cord blood if they themselves are a registered healthcare professional who has been specifically trained in cord blood collection.

Procurement that does not meet the conditions laid out above is unlawful and can result in action being taken against both the individual and hospital by the HTA under Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) Regulations 2007.

Anthony Nolan only uses specifically-trained midwives and dedicated collectors to collect cord blood from donating mothers.

No, we don’t pay mothers to donate their baby’s cord blood.

No, there is no cost to you to donate your baby’s cord blood to our public bank.

Yes. Your donation could provide a stem cell transplant for someone in need anywhere in the world.

We don’t store cord blood for private use. In the unlikely event that someone in your family needs a cord blood donation in the future, their doctors would search public registers.

As well as the above tests, we'll do virology and bacteriology tests. These tests will look for any dangerous viruses or bacteria, to make sure it’s safe for a transplant. We also check for genetic conditions (duplicating the neonatal screening tests) and do haematology tests to see how many stem cells there are in your baby’s cord blood.

We’ll test for any diseases or infections, so we can make sure your baby’s cord blood is safe to use for a transplant. This includes tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and HTLV. We may test for malaria, depending on your travel history. We’ll also do a DNA analysis to obtain your tissue type (HLA). This is how we’ll match your cord blood to someone in need of a lifesaving transplant.

If you test positive for anything, we’ll pass the information to your doctor who will advise you on any treatment.

Cord blood contains haematopoietic stem cells which can differentiate into white and red blood cells. Cord tissue (the actual umbilical cord) contains mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells differentiate into many different cell types such as osteoblasts (bone cells) and myocytes (muscle cells).

We use cord blood and tissue to isolate different cells. Research into each cell type will further our understanding into many different research areas. For example, we’re using cord blood to isolate haematopoietic stem cells, which can be analysed in different environments to further our understanding of cell therapies.

In the near future, we’ll be isolating mesenchymal stem cells from cord tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into many other cells, depending on their environment. So, from one lot of mesenchymal stem cells, we can produce many different cell types – this means research into many different areas, not only blood cancers and blood disorders!