Family Bank: Future Health Technologies

About

Future Health Technologies was founded in 2002 following three years of extensive research and was the first stem cell bank to receive a Human Tissue Authority (HTA) license in 2005. Today, Future Health has stored more samples than all other UK banks combined, and as of 2022 had in excess of 200,000 samples in storage from over 100,000 families in 94 countries, with a presence in over 50 countries worldwide. Future Health is the only cord blood bank to own storage facilities in both the UK and Switzerland. Future Health is highly accredited and has released over 125 stem cell samples for treatments and clinical trials to Europe, the Middle East and the US. Future Health has expertise in processing and storing stem cells from dental pulp.

Labs and Locations

Future Health is proud to own and operate a high quality laboratory in the UK, and two dedicated storage facilities in the UK and Switzerland.

Our storage facilities and laboratory are located as follows:

• Future Health Technologies Ltd 10 Faraday Building, Nottingham Science & Technology Park University Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 2QP United Kingdom
• Future Health Biobank S.A Route de Pra de Plan 3, CH-1618 Châtel-St-Denis Switzerland

In addition, Future Health maintains an established network of international sales and marketing offices with a presence in 50 countries around the world.

Business Experience

• The UK’s largest stem cell bank having processed and stored more umbilical cord stem cell samples than all the other UK banks combined
• In excess of 200,000 stem cell samples are stored from over 100,000 families in 94 countries, with offices in about 50 countries worldwide
• The only cord blood bank in the world to own storage facilities in both the UK and Switzerland
• One of the most highly accredited cord blood banks in the world
• Released over 125 samples for therapies to Europe, the Middle East and the US, including 18 cord blood therapies
• Expertise in processing and storing stem cells from dental pulp

Collection Kit

Future Health provides its clients with a purpose built collection kit containing all of the necessary components required to collect the samples. Included within the kit is a specially designed cord blood collection bag packed in individual aluminium sterile packaging.

Also provided, is a bespoke cord tissue collection kit, containing an antimicrobial tablet and a transportation preservation solution, to ensure the sample returns to the laboratory in the optimum state.

Transportation container

The cord blood and the cord tissue are transported in a thermally insulated shipping box. It is fully tested to ISTA 7D and 3A standards for protection against adverse temperature. The container includes evaporative cooling system and a temperature data logger to monitor shipping conditions.

Processing Method

For cord blood, clients are offered the Future Health’s Premium (volume reduced processing) storage method.

Future Health is the only bank in the UK to have its own in-house serology and PCR laboratories which perform tests for infectious diseases on the donor’s bloods. In addition to this, Future Health also uses flow cytometry to confirm the number of stem cells successfully stored within the sample.

Future Health is also the only bank in the UK to perform viability testing on all cord tissue samples to ensure the cells are healthy and viable.

Components Stored

Parents are provided with a certificate of storage detailing their unique identity code, the volume of blood stored, stem cell counts, and confirmation of the cord tissue viability. All clients are also provided with the maternal blood test results and the outcome of the microbial-contamination testing.

Storage Method

The samples are stored in multiple portions over separate storage locations which are all fully owned and maintained by Future Health. A member of the laboratory team is on call 24 hours per day to respond should there be any issues with the storage facility and there is also a security presence 24 hours per day.

The company maintains an insurance-backed disaster recovery program, which allows the transference of the samples to a suitably HTA licensed cryogenic storage facility in the highly unlikely event of a disaster at one of the company’s storage sites.

Licensing & Accreditation

Future Health Technologies is one of the most accredited stem cell bank in the UK. At present Future Health Technologies maintains the following licenses and accreditations:

• Human Tissue Authority (HTA) License (no. 22503)
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Blood Establishment Authorisation
• ISO:9001 Quality Management Accreditation
• AABB accreditation
• Prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise and International Trade

Clinical Experience

Future Health has released 18 cord blood samples successfully for therapies to Europe, the Middle East and the US. These samples have been used to treat conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Fanconi’s Anaemia, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Beta Thalassemia. In addition, Future Health has released over 125 stem cell samples for successful clinical therapies.

Insurance

Future Health believes that every family should have peace of mind when storing such a precious sample. That’s why Future Health offers every client private sample protection ensuring that in the unlikely event Future Health Technologies was to become insolvent, the sample would continue to be stored by an alternative HTA licensed storage facility.

Community Service

Future Health Technologies is proud to offer a range of discounts designed to make stem cell banking accessible for everybody. These include:

• Price Beat Guarantee (UK only)
• Repeat customer discount
• Twin/Triplet discounts
• Refer a friend scheme
• Special discount for immediate use cases

Prices

Please contact us to discuss our price packages in various countries. Future Health Technologies offers the following cord blood and cord tissue package prices in the UK:

• Standard Cord Blood Service - £1995 + annual storage cost £75
• Premium Cord Blood Service + Cord Tissue Service - £2695 + annual storage cost £120
• Premium+ Cord Blood Service + Cord Tissue Service + Dietary Screening  - £2545 + annual storage cost £100

*Customers may be required to pay an additional phlebotomist fee of £300

Additional Services

Future Health NIPT Test

The Future Health NIPT Test is non-invasive prenatal test which can be performed as early as 10 weeks into pregnancy. It is a safe prenatal screening used to detect if an unborm baby is likely to have life-altering conditions, including Down’s syndrome. Samples are processed at Future Health's laboratory in Nottingham.

Dietary Screening

Dietary Screening is a simple, saliva based screening test for four conditions including lactose intolerance and coeliac disease. If purchased as part of the Premium cord blood banking service, the test is carried out on the cord blood sample.

Visit our website for the most up to date services and prices for each country.