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Future Health is one of the largest family stem cell banks in Europe,
collecting samples from over 50 countries around the world.
Its financial strength, size and number of years in business,
guarantee parents the safe and long term storage of their samples.,
Future health was the first private stem cell storage facility in the world ,
to be certified and licensed as a Human Tissue Bank ,
by the Human Tissue Authority of the UK Department of Health in 2004.
Future Health strictly follows the European Directives for the storage of human tissues and cells.
We have been licensed by the Human Tissue Authority of the UK Department of Health.
In addition we have received a Blood Establishment Authorisation,
by the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency,
which enables us to safely handle blood and its by-products.
By following strict operating procedures,
we ensure the highest possible quality
of processing and long term cryopreservation of stem cells and human tissues.,
Stem cells are multipotent cells
that are considered to be the building blocks of life.
They have been used in a wide range of many different medical conditions ,
including transplantation for leukaemias
They have also been used in regenerative medicine therapies.,
So far over 600 different clinical trials are ongoingwith regard to haematopoietic stem cells ,
and over 100 for mesenchymal stem cells.
Here at Future Health we store a wide variety of different cell types.
There are two main types of stem cells found,
haematopoietic stem cells which are predominantly found in the blood ,
and mesenchymal stem cells which are found in different tissues.,
Mesenchymal stem cells have been used to treat a wide variety of different conditions ,
including cartilage and cardiac repair,
whereas haematopoietic stem cells have been used,
to treat a wide variety of different blood disorders including leukemias.
Our cord blood collection kit
contains all the consumables needed
for the successful collection of the sample.
Our cord tissue collection kit
contains a cord shipping tube with a special solution
and our own unique cord tissue preservation tablet.
All the consumables are individually wrapped in sterile packaging,
and are provided as part of the collection kit by Future Health,
according to the UK Department of Health's accredited procedures.,
Kits are assembled and individually checked before shipping.
After the baby is born,
the Healthcare Professional will collect the cord blood.
The Future Health cord blood collection bag has two sterile needles ,
to maximise the volume of cord blood collected.
Before the collection takes place the cord must be dried and thoroughly disinfected,
to ensure the blood is collected in a sterile manner.
The needle cover is removed and the first needle is inserted into the blood vessel ,
at the lowest part of the umbilical cord, as close to the clamp as possible.
The cord blood procedure is repeated with the second needle,
but at the top end of the cord near the placenta.
Gentle agitation of the bag will ensure that the blood and the anticoagulant ,
in the collection bag are thoroughly mixed.
Cord blood sample is then placed in to the thermal insulated transportation kit ,
and handed to the birthing partner
who is then responsible for arranging then transportation to Future Health.,
Cord tissue sample should be taken
as soon as the cord blood sample has been collected.
The preservation tablet is added to the solution
and allowed to dissolve.
The cord is cleaned thoroughly.
A 15cm section of the cord is cut, cleaned again
and placed in the shipping tube.
All the consumables are individually wrapped in sterile packaging,
and are provided as part of the collection kit by Future Health ,
according to the UK Department of Health's accredited procedures.
Our approved medical courier safely delivers
your baby's cord blood and tissue to Future Health.
Samples are received daily from countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
for processing using the strict guidelines specified by the Human Tissue Authority.
Future Health's state of the art facilities are located close to East Midlands Airport,
which is our courier's central European hub.
This ensures the samples are received on a timely basis from all the countries that we operate in.
Each sample received by us is positively identified with a unique sample code number.
The contents of the box are checked
and all the necessary documentation recorded before processing of the sample begins.
Stem cell separation and preservation is carried out by specialised laboratory personnel.
The sample is processed within sterile clean rooms under strictly controlled conditions.
Highly specialised, computer controlled separation equipment is used.
A closed system processing kit ensures the sterility of the stem cells.,
This system separates the whole cord blood sample into three components:
Red Blood Cells
Plasma
and Stem Cells.
Staff entering the laboratory have to wear sterile full body suits completely covering the body from head to toe.
The samples are processed in the sterile environment of a clean room.
The sterility is constantly monitored by the use of agar plates in the work area.
The cord tissue sample is cleaned, disinfected and then processed.
We extract mesenchymal stem cells from the cord and culture them
in order to ensure the viability of a sample.
What we are going to do now is introduce cryopreservative into our buffy coat bag,
which contains our stem cells.
The reason we do this is because we want to preserve our cells in minus 190 degrees.
The final sample is stored in a cryo bag.
The cryo bag is divided into two independent chambers permitting the multiple use of each sample.
The smaller section can be used for expansion therapy.
Once the cryopreservative has been added to the cryo bag it is sealed and then placed in an external protective bag.
The double bag sample is placed in a metal canister for additional protection against possible mechanical damage.
The metal canisters are bar coded with the same unique number as the cryobag.,
The sample is gradually frozen in a controlled rate freezer in order to protect the cells during the freezing procedure.
Finally it is placed in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen storage tank,
for long term storage.
This prevents cross contamination between the samples.
This is one of our many liquid nitrogen storage tanks,
this holds about 8,000 stem cell samples.
These are very, very secure,
they will survive for 10 days without any liquid nitrogen and without any electricity.
Therefore giving us a very, very secure storage system.
When a sample is been requested for release, the sample code is cross checked
and then the sample is transferred from the storage tank into a protective canister
and then to a cryo shipper.
The sample will remain frozen until it arrives at its final destination.
A series of tests is performed on each and every sample
in order to ensure the quality, viability and sterility.
A blood count is performed before and after processing
in order to record the number of different types of cells present in the sample.
Latest technology, flow cytometry equipment is used to identify specific types of stem cells.
This is our fully automated screening lab
where we carry all tests out on site,
we look for blood-borne viruses
and it gives us complete confidence and control over the processing.
We use PCR to detect blood-borne viruses which is a gold standard
and this may pick up viruses that other methods might not be able to detect.
Mesenchymal stem cells are cultured in order to ensure the viability of each sample.
So I hope you have enjoyed your tour of our state of the art facilities.