The University of York in England is taking on a three-year research project that looks to use cord blood stem cells to help repair bone problems. The ₤1.7million project will be headed by the university’s Department of Biology and includes numerous scientists from Britain and Europe. Additionally, colleagues from the university’s Sociology and Philosophy departments will be involved to evaluate the social and ethical implications of the work. Study co-ordinator, Dr. Pail Genever, said: “The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in cord blood appear similar to bone marrow stem cells but they are hard to locate. We aim to isolate and expand them so we have enough cells to use in therapies.” There are currently more than two million units of cord blood banked in Europe. Brian Dooks, YorkshireToday.co.uk
January 23, 2006
Education Campaign on Umbilical Cord Blood
Officials in New Jersey are launching an educational campaign to help ensure that all expectant mothers, as well as obstetricians, nurses, and midwives, are aware of umbilical cord blood banking. Various hospitals throughout New Jersey will be offering education and training sessions over the next two months to staff that work with pregnant women. Governor Richard J. Codey said: “More often than not, this rich stem cell source is discarded as medical waste after childbirth. But this holds too much promise to simply destroy. This pioneering initiative will enable us to pursue all options and let science point the way to stem cell cures, offering hope to the millions of people that suffer from life-threatening conditions.” Governor Codey has instructed the Department of Health and Senior Services to direct two pilot cord blood donation programs, one in northern and one in southern New Jersey. Both programs will be involved in the new national cord blood bank inventory system, which makes it easier for physicians to locate a cord blood match anywhere in the country. The DHSS will also create a public awareness campaign to help health care providers educate pregnant women on cord blood donation. News-Medical.Net
January 20, 2006
Soap Star Saves Baby with Her Bone Marrow
Soap actress Kimberlin Brown, most recently of The Young and the Restless fame, has helped saved the life of a 14-month-old girl. Brown had previously donated blood in order to help a neighbor. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a match but she remained on a bone marrow registry list. Thanks to that list, her name came up again when a 14-month-old girl who was dying from leukemia needed a bone marrow transplant. This time, Brown was a perfect match. When told that the stem cell transplant had been successful, Brown said: “That’s when it hit me. Is there anything more important that you can do in your life before you leave this world than to save someone else?” Brown has two children of her own, who she says inspired her heroic act: “Without little faces like this to look at every day, I can’t imagine a family having to lose that.”. ExtraTV.com
January 11, 2006
Boy Gets Back Vision Through Stem Cell Surgery
A young boy in India will be able to see again after receiving stem cell surgery. Nine-year-old Raja was playing with raw mangoes when ‘milk’ from the fruit was squirted into his eye. Because raw mango ‘milk’ is so acidic, it caused chemical burns to Raja’s right eye, resulting in the gradual loss of vision in his eye. While his family tried homemade remedies and received treatment from government hospitals, Raja remained blind in his right eye. Eight months after the accident, Raja was taken to Dr. Amar Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, who agreed to treat the boy for free because his family is too poor to pay for the therapy. To help restore Raja’s vision, Dr. Agarwal harvested stem cells from Raja’s healthy left eye and transplanted them to the blind right eye. This graft will eventually dissolve, helping to generate the growth of new stem cells thereby restoring Raja’s vision. DNAIndia.com
