How Will We Treat Cancers, Immune Disorders, Cardiovascular Disease and Muscular Dystrophy?
Health/medical, science and family writers (03/10/00) SAN BRUNO, Calif., March 10/PR Newswire/ — On the heels of one of the most exciting years in scientific advances, Cord Blood Registry, the nation’s largest family bank of umbilical cord blood stem cells, announced today that its registry has grown to over 18,000 units. Stem cells were the top science story of 1999 and researchers have recently discovered that stem cells, like those found in cord blood and bone marrow, can be “coaxed” into becoming other types of cells. Unlike mature cells, which cannot change their destiny, it appears that stem cells can renew themselves and create new cells of whatever tissue they belong to. Cord blood, which is usually thrown away with the placenta after the umbilical cord has been cut, is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, the “mother” cells that reproduce and create the human blood and immune system. Now, families can collect and freeze these cells for potential future use in treating a
