We are the only UK company to store the whole blood from the umbilical cord, not just the extracted stem cells. Why? Whole blood not only contains all the cells that you get in extracted stem cell samples. Uniquely, it also has the newly discovered VSELs and all of the other components, such as Cord Blood Factor, that help the baby grow in the womb.

In addition, whole cord blood has been shown to be of greater therapeutic value in recent peer-reviewed publications than extracted stem cells. We are storing for future uses, for example diabetes, which do not use extracted haematopoietic stem cells.

Stem cells can be extracted from frozen thawed blood so there is no advantage to our clients in performing an irreversible process that will be throwing away material that may be needed in the future.

As well as containing Hematopoietic Stem Cells, whole cord blood already contains the extra MSCs (Mesenchymal Stem Cells) that are being offered as a separate service at an additional cost by some of the other UK storage banks. Why pay extra?

To protect you in the event of a disaster, we store your child's cord blood at two geographically separate locations.

The viability of your baby's sample declines rapidly with time. The quicker it is cryopreserved, the greater the viability. Our laboratory is open every day of the year, evenings, weekends and bank holidays, even Christmas Day. You cannot determine when you baby will arrive so we are always ready to receive it. Compare this with our competitor's working days only policy.

We offer 25 years prepaid storage for your child's cord blood at the same cost as other UK companies that only offer 20 years. After the initial 25 years you can choose to renew for a further period.

We will store your child's cord blood in 3 to 6 separate portions (divided in 2 separate locations) so that should the need arise we can use only a small part, leaving the remaining blood and stem cells undamaged. This might allow testing or assessment of compatibility to be done easily and effectively.

We use an experienced, single-use courier vehicle to collect your child's stem cells sample. This gives the reassurance that the company collecting your child's precious cord blood stem cells knows how valuable they are, treating the sample with the utmost care while getting it to us as quickly as possible. Again, this is unique to Cells4Life.

Note: 1 overseas service may differ from this due to courier constraints and customs.

As soon as your sample arrives, we start testing. Upon completion we issue you with a certificate of your child's stem cells' analysis and the results of all our testing, including maternal virus testing. These results are verified and signed by a medical doctor and an HTA Designated Individual. For further information on our testing process please click here.

We are the only company to have a Human Tissue Authority (HTA) licence to process and store whole blood stem cells. This ensures we comply with international and European standards of GLP (Good Laboratory Practice), GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and ISO principles.

We regularly update our stem cells information library from scientific peer-reviewed publications. Customers receive newsletters about the company and the latest stem cells research.

We keep all of the stem cells and umbilical cord blood just for your baby, nothing is given away. This is because only a limited volume of blood can be collected and at present this is only sufficient to treat a small child with a serious illness. Reducing this sample could put your child’s life at risk.

We regularly update our stem cells information library with scientific peer-reviewed publications. Customers receive newsletters about the company including the latest stem cells research. Please click here for latest research and news.