stem cells

Cord Blood Registry (CBR) announced that - for the second year in a row - a record number of cord blood stem cell collections stored at CBR have been needed for medical use by the individual child from whom they were collected. In 2007, a total of 16 cord blood collections stored at CBR were requested for medical use. Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, juvenile diabetes and a rare immune system disorder will benefit from their own stem cells.

The New York State Assembly announced the passage of A2915-B, the Public and Private Umbilical Cord Blood Banking legislation.

The bill passed the NYS Senate on June 19th, and requires the NYS Department of Health to develop an educational program to make the public aware of umbilical cord banking.

Governor Spitzer needs to sign S1265A into law.

They say it's part of being an American. Citizens should be protected from being forced to violate their moral and religious values. Answering to God first and foremost, hyper-religious healthcare workers around the U.S. are turning away lesbians and gays - justifying their passive aggressive actions with their faith.

Stem cells are regarded as an important biological resource, and researchers are conducting numerous studies to learn about their potential. So far, studies suggest that cord blood stem cells may help treat diseases like diabetes, heart and liver disease, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

There's a possibility of stem cell expansion, which may someday enable families who have banked stem cells to use them for multiple treatments or donate stem cells to others.

Sickle cell disease, hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumors can all be treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells. Nearly 70 diseases, including leukemia, other cancers, and blood disorders can be treated with stem cells. Doctors have been using cord blood in lifesaving treatments since 1988 and stem cell therapies are currently being developed for heart disease, juvenile diabetes, and brain injury.