Who collects the samples?

Collection must be performed by a trained and licensed healthcare professional. This could be a private obstetrician or midwife or an assigned phlebotomist. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) requires the person who performs the collection to be appropriately trained in the Smart Cells collection process and hold a valid Third-Party Agreement to do so. Smart Cells can arrange for a fully trained and qualified medical professional to carry out the collection at your birth.

Can I still have my stem cells collected if I have a home birth?

Yes, Smart Cells has a fully trained team of phlebotomists* who are able to visit your home to collect the sample during a home birth. They will discuss your options with you and make sure they have a safe and sterile area to collect your samples. *Specific to the United Kingdom only.

Can I wait for the placenta to deliver naturally?

You can either wait for the placenta to deliver naturally or the delivery may be induced via an injection. Either method does not prevent Smart Cells from collecting your sample.

What is an HLA test and how is it used?

What is HLA? “HLA” is short for Human Leukocyte Antigens, which are proteins in the immune system that determine whether a patient will react against a donor transplant or if the donor transplant cells will react against the recipient. A very good basic tutorial about HLA types is on the Stanford Website, and the national Be The Match program (aka NMDP) has more info on the role of HLA type in transplants of stem cells from bone marrow or cord blood. How is HLA used in cord blood banking? The HLA type of cord blood is always assessed by public banks at the time of storing cells, and then the type is listed on a registry that can be searched for patients worldwide who need a transplant. Family/private banks typically do not measure the HLA type at the time of banking, as the actual test specification varies depending on the proposed clinical use and the testing can always be checked later using a testing segment of the stored cells. Sibling transplantation In the case of sibling transplantation, individuals have 25 per cent chance of having a sibling who is HLA matched. HLA matching is important because a stored cord blood sample may be suitable for transplantation to another family member, depending on compatibility and the clinical indication.

Do I need to store the cord blood and tissue stem cells in the country I intend to use it?

No. After cord blood and/or tissue is collected at birth, the samples are delivered, processed, and stored in the Smart Cells UK laboratory. If you ever need the cord blood or tissue for therapy, the product will be shipped in a constant temperature monitored frozen state in a special container designed for the purpose of international cell shipment. Cord blood can travel anywhere in the world with no loss of viability because it travels frozen. It is only thawed at the clinic where it will be used immediately prior to infusion. Smart Cells have successfully shipped samples within the UK and to Europe, USA, India, and the Far East.

Why do Smart Cells volume reduce process cord blood before storage?

Most UK and international cord blood banks, both public and private, process cord blood to reduce levels of the plasma and the red cells, and cryo-preserve the remaining buffy coat portion which contains mononuclear cells. This mononuclear cell fraction contains the critical CD34 positive stem cells. It is valid for cord blood storage banks to use volume reduction techniques as such units are clinically preferable to whole blood, red cell replete products. This is based on large cohorts of international data from respected and accredited transplant centres who use cord blood regularly as a therapeutic tool. The plasma and red cells in cord blood are not deemed to be useful clinically. By reducing the volume of the sample, while retaining the critical stem cells, it is possible to minimise the volume of cryoprotectant solution required in the freezing process. The cryoprotectant contains a substance called DMSO that can cause reactions in patients so it is sensible to reduce the volume as much as possible. The reduction of red blood cell content is very important as it is well recognised that red blood cells burst or lyse during the freezing process. This results in release of free haemoglobin and red cell debris which can cause complications to patients at the time of infusion. There are whole cord blood units in-store that was mostly banked before preference for volume reduction became a factor and some of these are used for transplantation if there is no better match available in the volume-reduced format. Under these circumstances, key worldwide organisations which issue standards of practice recommend washing the units to remove lysed red blood cell material to avoid clinical complications. However, this can result in the loss of some stem cells. Information taken from the following sources: The Joint Accreditation Committee-ISCT (Europe) & EBMT (JACIE) : The Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Accreditation Manual 6th Edition which accompanies the FACT-JACIE International Standards for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Product Collection, Processing, and Administration. The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), ( USA) Transfusion. 2012 Jan; 52(1): 207–208 The Circular of Information for the use of cellular therapy products (AABB publication) http://www.aabb.org/aabbcct/coi/Pages/default.aspx Ballen et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015 Apr; 21(4): 688–695. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359657/#!po=0.617284

Does my hospital allow me to have stem cells collected?

The majority of maternity hospitals allow Smart Cells to perform this service for you. If you would like to discuss your individual hospital, then please contact the Smart Cells.

Does it matter if the birth is caesarean section or natural delivery?

No. If you have a Caesarean the collection can take place after the delivery of the placenta, as it would with a natural birth. Either birthing scenario is fine for the collection of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells.

Does cord blood and tissue collection hurt?

No. Cord blood and tissue collection is painless, convenient, and safe for both mother and new-born. The cord blood and tissue samples are collected after your baby is born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. The samples collected are normally discarded after birth as medical waste.

Stem Cell Collection and Processing

Introduction

Stem cell collection is the process of harvesting healthy blood stem cells for medical treatments or transplants. This guide is for expectant parents and families considering private cord blood and cord tissue banking. Understanding the collection process helps families make informed decisions about their child’s future health options. Cord blood banking involves the collection, processing, and long-term storage of umbilical cord blood. While this guide focuses on umbilical cord blood collection, it is important to note that stem cells can also be collected from peripheral blood or bone marrow. There are three main collection methods: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell collection, Bone Marrow collection, and Umbilical Cord Blood collection.

Stem cell collection is a simple, safe, and non-invasive procedure carried out immediately after birth: once your baby’s cord has been clamped and cut, a trained specialist collects the remaining blood and tissue from the umbilical cord for processing and long-term cryogenic storage. For expectant parents and families considering private cord blood and cord tissue banking, this guide explains how collection works, what happens in the laboratory, how samples are tested and stored, and the standards used to keep them safe and clinically usable.

The collection itself takes only a few minutes, is completely painless for both mother and baby, and does not interfere with your chosen birth plan. Importantly, the procedure is compatible with delayed cord clamping, so you can still enjoy those first precious moments with your newborn while preserving stem cells that may support future transplants, regenerative medicine, and other developing therapies.

Your sample is then carefully sealed, documented, and transported under controlled conditions to our laboratory for processing, quality testing, regulatory-compliant handling, and cryogenic storage.

Note on Stem Cell Collection Methods

While this guide focuses on umbilical cord blood collection, stem cells can also be collected from peripheral blood or bone marrow. There are three main collection methods: Peripheral Blood Stem Cell collection, Bone Marrow collection, and Umbilical Cord Blood collection.

A healthy future can be planned – it only takes five easy steps

Cord blood banking is a straightforward process and an important part of planning long-term stem cell storage in the UK. Here are the five easy steps to collect, process, and store your baby’s stem cells:

1
Step 1: Order your stem cell collection kit

Order online or by calling 01895 424430, and complete a consent form before stem cells are collected for storage.
Order now Contact
2
Step 2: Inform your phlebotomist

In the UK, a trained and licensed phlebotomist from a dedicated service will perform the collection.

A trained and licenced phlebotomist will perform the collection. Liaise with them directly to ensure they attend the hospital to take the cord blood sample from the umbilical cord after birth. The process is quick, non-invasive, and delayed cord clamping compatible.

Cord tissue can also be very easily isolated from a section of the umbilical cord collected at birth.
3
Step 3: Your kit is collected

Once your baby’s sample has been collected, call Smart Cells. They will send a courier to collect and transport the sample to the laboratory near Heathrow Airport.

Every cord blood (CB) and cord tissue (CT) sample is transported to the laboratory as quickly as possible in approved, validated, and temperature monitored transit containers to preserve the stem cells during this process.
4
Step 4: Samples are processed

Your baby’s sample is tested, processed, and cryogenically frozen at the laboratory.

Your baby’s sample is tested, processed, and cryogenically frozen at the laboratory using a high-efficiency technique called sedimentation with HES (hydroxyethyl starch).

Samples are safely stored in vapour phase nitrogen at temperatures so low all metabolic processes of the cells cease. When correctly handled, these cells can be thawed and restored to grow and multiply in a patient undergoing transplant treatment.
5
Step 5: Samples are stored for 25 years

Smart Cells will call you to confirm the successful storage of your baby’s sample. This sample will be stored safely for 25 years.

Stored stem cells may also become useful in the future if new treatments are developed for additional diseases, and they are also being studied for potential use in repairing heart muscle and supporting research.

Next, we explain our precise processing methodology.

Our Processing Methodology

At Smart Cells, precision and reliability are at the heart of how we prepare every sample. For over two decades, we have perfected a high-efficiency technique called sedimentation with HES (hydroxyethyl starch) — a gold-standard method proven in hundreds of thousands of cord blood collections worldwide.

Step-by-Step: How We Process Your Baby’s Cord Blood

1
Careful Separation
Using sedimentation and centrifugation, cord blood is reduced in volume and divided into its main components — plasma, red blood cells, and white blood cells.
2
Isolating the Buffy Coat
The “buffy coat”, the fraction rich in white blood cells and stem cells, is isolated for long-term preservation. This ensures we retain the most therapeutically valuable portion of your baby’s cord blood, helping preserve enough stem cells for potential future therapeutic use whenever possible.
3
Secure Cryogenic Preparation
The stem cell-rich sample is placed into a clinical-grade storage bag, sealed in a protective metal cassette, and cooled gradually using a computer-controlled freezing system. Once the sample reaches –160°C, it is transferred into a cryogenic tank, where it is maintained at –196°C in nitrogen vapour. This environment is scientifically proven to preserve stem cell viability for decades.

Now that you know how we process your baby’s cord blood stem cells, let’s look at the rigorous quality testing we perform to ensure safety and clinical readiness.

Rigorous Quality Testing

Total Nucleated Cell (TNC) count – overall measure of cell content
CD34+ stem cell count & viability – key indicator of usable stem cells
Microbiological screening – ensures sterility and safety
Maternal blood testing – checks for infectious diseases through blood tests for required viruses, including hepatitis b, hepatitis c, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) , syphilis, human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) which must be completed within 7 days of collection, in line with Human Tissue Authority tissue storage regulations

Stem cell collection methods vary depending on the source. For peripheral blood, collection uses apheresis—also called leukapheresis—and is typically performed through a central line or cannula. By contrast, bone marrow collection involves a needle inserted into the hip bone, and around one to two quarts of marrow may be harvested.

After quality testing, it’s important to understand why our method matters for bone marrow transplant and other clinical uses.

Why This Method Matters for Bone Marrow Transplant

Higher recovery rates – Sedimentation with HES consistently delivers more viable stem cells than many automated systems.
Clinically proven – This methodology has been used in transplants at leading medical centres worldwide with outstanding results, with the strongest evidence for hematopoietic stem cell transplants as standard treatments for blood cancers and for treating various blood and immune disorders, much like bone marrow stem cells used to restore blood cell production after intensive therapy.
Trusted by science & families alike – With Smart Cells’ experience and FamiCord’s global network, families benefit from one of the most reliable processing systems available today, although regulators caution that many advertised stem cell treatments outside these established uses still lack strong clinical evidence.

To ensure the highest standards, we maintain strict quality assurance and testing protocols.

Learn more on cord blood processing details

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Quality Assurance and Testing

All samples are fully traceable throughout the journey, including testing, receipt, processing, cryopreservation, storage, and release for treatment if required.

Samples are tested and validated for sterility in accredited UK NHS laboratories.

Cord blood

All samples are tested in-house for full blood and viable CD34 stem cell counts. Processing and cryopreservation procedures are validated at least twice annually by thawing test aliquots to check cell numbers and viable cell recovery. Smart Cells participates in independent UK External Quality Assurance Schemes (NEQAS) to ensure these tests are accurate.

Cord tissue

Following processing, small test segments are reserved for each sample. Representative segments are sent to an independent laboratory for viability and cell culture testing, and immunophenotyping which checks the type of stem cells in the tissue. These validation tests are run at least twice per year and can be arranged should a sample be proposed for use.

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FAQ

Who collects the samples?
Collection must be performed by a trained and licensed healthcare professional. This could be a private obstetrician or midwife or an assigned phlebotomist.
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) requires the person who performs the collection to be appropriately trained in the Smart Cells collection process and hold a valid Third-Party Agreement to do so. Smart Cells can arrange for a fully trained and qualified medical professional to carry out the collection at your birth.
Can I still have my stem cells collected if I have a home birth?
Yes, Smart Cells has a fully trained team of phlebotomists* who are able to visit your home to collect the sample during a home birth. They will discuss your options with you and make sure they have a safe and sterile area to collect your samples.
*Specific to the United Kingdom only.
Can I wait for the placenta to deliver naturally?
You can either wait for the placenta to deliver naturally or the delivery may be induced via an injection. Either method does not prevent Smart Cells from collecting your sample.
What is an HLA test and how is it used?
What is HLA?
“HLA” is short for Human Leukocyte Antigens, which are proteins in the immune system that determine whether a patient will react against a donor transplant or if the donor transplant cells will react against the recipient. A very good basic tutorial about HLA types is on the Stanford Website, and the national Be The Match program (aka NMDP) has more info on the role of HLA type in transplants of stem cells from bone marrow or cord blood.
How is HLA used in cord blood banking?
The HLA type of cord blood is always assessed by public banks at the time of storing cells, and then the type is listed on a registry that can be searched for patients worldwide who need a transplant. Family/private banks typically do not measure the HLA type at the time of banking, as the actual test specification varies depending on the proposed clinical use and the testing can always be checked later using a testing segment of the stored cells.
Sibling transplantation
In the case of sibling transplantation, individuals have 25 per cent chance of having a sibling who is HLA matched. HLA matching is important because a stored cord blood sample may be suitable for transplantation to another family member, depending on compatibility and the clinical indication.
Do I need to store the cord blood and tissue stem cells in the country I intend to use it?
No. After cord blood and/or tissue is collected at birth, the samples are delivered, processed, and stored in the Smart Cells UK laboratory. If you ever need the cord blood or tissue for therapy, the product will be shipped in a constant temperature monitored frozen state in a special container designed for the purpose of international cell shipment. Cord blood can travel anywhere in the world with no loss of viability because it travels frozen. It is only thawed at the clinic where it will be used immediately prior to infusion. Smart Cells have successfully shipped samples within the UK and to Europe, USA, India, and the Far East.
Why do Smart Cells volume reduce process cord blood before storage?
Most UK and international cord blood banks, both public and private, process cord blood to reduce levels of the plasma and the red cells, and cryo-preserve the remaining buffy coat portion which contains mononuclear cells. This mononuclear cell fraction contains the critical CD34 positive stem cells. It is valid for cord blood storage banks to use volume reduction techniques as such units are clinically preferable to whole blood, red cell replete products. This is based on large cohorts of international data from respected and accredited transplant centres who use cord blood regularly as a therapeutic tool. The plasma and red cells in cord blood are not deemed to be useful clinically. By reducing the volume of the sample, while retaining the critical stem cells, it is possible to minimise the volume of cryoprotectant solution required in the freezing process. The cryoprotectant contains a substance called DMSO that can cause reactions in patients so it is sensible to reduce the volume as much as possible.
The reduction of red blood cell content is very important as it is well recognised that red blood cells burst or lyse during the freezing process. This results in release of free haemoglobin and red cell debris which can cause complications to patients at the time of infusion.
There are whole cord blood units in-store that was mostly banked before preference for volume reduction became a factor and some of these are used for transplantation if there is no better match available in the volume-reduced format. Under these circumstances, key worldwide organisations which issue standards of practice recommend washing the units to remove lysed red blood cell material to avoid clinical complications. However, this can result in the loss of some stem cells.
Information taken from the following sources:
The Joint Accreditation Committee-ISCT (Europe) & EBMT (JACIE) : The Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Accreditation Manual 6th Edition which accompanies the FACT-JACIE International Standards for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Product Collection, Processing, and Administration.
The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), ( USA)
Transfusion. 2012 Jan; 52(1): 207–208
The Circular of Information for the use of cellular therapy products (AABB publication) http://www.aabb.org/aabbcct/coi/Pages/default.aspx Ballen et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015 Apr; 21(4): 688–695.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359657/#!po=0.617284
Does my hospital allow me to have stem cells collected?
The majority of maternity hospitals allow Smart Cells to perform this service for you. If you would like to discuss your individual hospital, then please contact the Smart Cells.
Does it matter if the birth is caesarean section or natural delivery?
No. If you have a Caesarean the collection can take place after the delivery of the placenta, as it would with a natural birth. Either birthing scenario is fine for the collection of cord blood and cord tissue stem cells.
Does cord blood and tissue collection hurt?
No. Cord blood and tissue collection is painless, convenient, and safe for both mother and new-born. The cord blood and tissue samples are collected after your baby is born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. The samples collected are normally discarded after birth as medical waste.