A NEW service is being launched allowing new parents to store special blood from their baby's umbilical cord in case it is needed to fight illnesses, such as leukaemia, later in life.

The private, specialised blood bank service, which could provide an alternative to bone marrow transplants to treat some malignant diseases, will be headed up in the UK by husband and wife team Julie-Anne Ryan and Steve Payne, of Chesham.

They will run the UK Cord Blood Bank the UK division of the New England Cord Blood Bank (NECBB), which is based in Boston, USA. The NECBB is a subsidiary of the New England Cryogenic Center, which has been providing cryogenic laboratories (where material is frozen at very low temperatures), in particular sperm banks, for 20 years.

Blood taken from the umbilical cord contains stem cells, which are the building blocks of the blood and immune systems.

Julie-Anne explains: "If the child is diagnosed with a serious disease later on in life, such as leukaemia, stem cells can be retrieved and injected back into the child without fear of rejection or contamination.

"That same blood will also offer a 50 per cent chance of a match should a sibling need it, and 25 per cent chance for a parent.

"It is a non-invasive procedure which only takes a few minutes. The blood does not come from the mother or the baby, but from the cord which is usually thrown away."

Initially, blood will be sent in collection bags to the US centre for processing but full laboratory facilities are expected to open in the UK within the next few months.

Julie-Anne and her husband Steve, a former RAF administrative officer at Naphill, first became involved with the New England Cryogenic Center when they set up facilities management company Victoria Facilities, now closed, in Desborough Road, High Wycombe last year.

The centre got in touch with the company to find it a suitable property for its planned expansion.

Julie-Anne said: "We knew them through family contacts and they wanted to set up in this country. Steve went over to talk to them and they asked us to head the operation when they moved to the UK. It was such a good offer, we couldn't turn it down."

The private service is the first in the UK for parents to request to have their own babies' umbilical cord blood (UCB) frozen and stored for future use.

"I wish we had it when our daughter Willow, now nine, was born. It is one of the greatest fears for any parent," said Julie-Anne.

She emphasized that parents interested in the private service will need to contact the UK office initially and confidentiality will be strictly observed.

The cost will be £495 for processing and storage for the first year and thereafter an annual fee of £75 for storage.

Julie-Anne and Steve will be holding their first seminar for maternity professionals at the Royal Society of Medicine in October.

More details on the service are available from UK Cord Blood Bank on (01494) 786117 or e-mail: julie-anne.ryan@lineone.net