The UK's first accredited private cord blood bank, which has pioneered the collection and long-term cryogenic storage of stem cells from umbilical cords since 2002, has become the first such company to win a prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise. East Midlands-based Future Health Technologies, which started operating eight years ago, was the first UK-based family cord blood bank to receive full accreditation as a human tissue bank from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in 2004.
From a handful of enquiries at the start, the company now handles more than 2500 enquiries per month through its UK and 17 affiliate offices and currently stores over 30,000 samples from some 43 different countries around the world in its state-of-the-art facilities. Growth in overseas business enabled Future Health to expand its facilities in 2009 and the company now occupies a 13,000 square foot site, including specialised clinical laboratories and cryogenic storage tank rooms.
Roger Dainty, director of Future Health, pictured (right) with Steve Baines, head of global operations in the company’s state-of-the-art tank room, said: “We are delighted to have received a prestigious Queen's Award, not only to mark the impressive growth we have achieved but also to highlight stem cell banking as a valued and valuable UK industry. We very much hope that our international success will soon be replicated in the domestic market as we believe that all pregnant women should have the right to decide what happens to their baby's cord.”
www.futurehealth.co.uk