Tummy buttons are a source of fascination to many [apart from my friend Richard who hasn't got one -great story] but their precursor the umbilical cord has been neglected! Twenty years after umbilical cord blood was first used to treat a rare type of anaemia, the BBC reports today that the Anthony Nolan Trust is setting up a new cord blood bank programme in south London. Cord blood already has a long history of being used to treat acute leukaemia, but the discovery of embryonic-like stem cells in 2005 meant that the potential use of these cells for research and treatments was enormous.
So why, twelve years after the Conservative Government established the NHS Cord Blood Bank, can blood only be taken at four NHS hospitals in or near London? Why, with this easily accessible, uncontroversial, plentiful supply source of stem cells, have we not invested more immediately in staff who can collect the blood and scientists to research their potential? Why no sense of urgency? Although 'stem cells' and 'alzheimers' are usually metioned in the same breath, the reality is that regenerative cures are still at least 10-20 years away at shown by a recent meta-analysis . An ageing population and degenerative diseases are two of the biggest challenges we face - and when we are presented with a human tissue resource like this, we are nuts not to prioritise it.