The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has warned new parents to ensure that medical staff collecting umbilical cord blood on their behalf are properly trained and authorised.

BBC News reports that the warning comes amid fears that umbilical cord blood collected by unauthorised or incorrectly trained staff might become contaminated, which could in turn compromise safety on maternity wards.

There have been reports of untrained and unlicensed people collecting umbilical cord blood – on one occasion, in a hospital car park.

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells that doctors believe can be used to treat diseases that are currently thought to be incurable. These include multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, including leukaemia.

The stem cells are harvested and can be grown into any type of tissue. Collecting them from the umbilical cord means that tissues grown from stem cells will be compatible with the donor and can be used to treat any illness a baby might develop later in life, and potentially illnesses in other family members.

The Human Tissue Authority began regulating the collection and use of stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood in July 2008.

To date, the HTA has received 140 reports of umbilical cord blood not being collected by licensed practitioners and this number is thought to be an underestimate. Parents have been known to collect the blood themselves – or medical staff have been pressured into collecting umbilical cord blood either against their will or without being aware of current legislation.

The HTA’s Dr Shaun Griffin said:

‘Collection of cord blood is the same as any other medical procedure, it needs to be carried out safely by trained staff.’

The authority is now writing to maternity units and the organisations and individuals who are licensed to collect and store umbilical cord blood across the country.

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