MP BACKS CHARITY'S PIONEERING APPROACH TO STEM CELL RESEARCH

12.08.02pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 19th Jun 2008

Solihull's MP, Lorely Burt has recently added their name to a House of Commons Early Day Motion which draws attention to the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity dedicated to providing lifesaving donors for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Since 1974, The Anthony Nolan Trust has operated the UK's most successful bone marrow register and is in the process of establishing a Cord Blood Bank to complement the register and to provide a unique national transplant and research resource.

Umbilical cord blood, the child's blood retained in the placenta following birth, is normally treated as a waste product despite being an ethical and feasible source of naturally produced stem cells for clinical transplantation and use in regenerative medicine. The Cord Blood Bank programme will seek to take advantage of this as well as placing the UK at the forefront of cord stem cell development and research.

Dr Steve McEwan, Chief Executive of The Anthony Nolan Trust, said:

"I would like to thank Lorely for supporting the Charity's Cord Blood Bank Programme. Traditionally about 50% of collected cord bloods have been thrown away as clinically unusable, despite their potential to save lives through transplantation and use in research in the fields of cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Our Cord Blood Bank will build on our core skills, making new therapies available for patients and providing extra support to clinicians and researchers working in the field of stem cell use, including transplantation."

Lorely Burt said:

"I am delighted to support the pioneering work of The Anthony Nolan Trust. The aims of their proposed Cord Blood Bank Programme are commendable and will give the chance of life to patients affected by diseases such as leukaemia as well as placing the UK at the forefront of stem cell research".