Stem cell company wins significant licence

João Andrade

Manchester stem cell services company WideCells Group, has secured a licence from the UK Human Tissue Authority which will allow it to offer umbilical cord blood and tissue storage services to clients in the UK and Europe.

João Andrade, chief executive of the company based at the University of Manchester Innovation Centre, described the granting of the licence for the service to be known as BabyCells as a “transformational milestone”.

He went on: “We can now store and process umbilical cord blood and tissue, provide financial cover and support for associated treatment through our innovative CellPlan insurance product, and support development and medical advancement within the industry through both our research work, and our education and training division Wideacademy.

“This licence enables us to leverage further our significant industry contacts and market presence to position our state of the art facility in Manchester as a leading stem cell storage bank. The group is now positioned to focus on revenue generation from all three of our divisions.”

After listing on the London Stock Exchange in July, 2016, WideCells was later ranked as the 21st most disruptive company globally by ‘Disrupt 100’.

WideCells Group employs 30 people across its three divisions in Manchester, Lisbon and Brazil.

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