Texas Cord Blood Bank expands to Houston - San Antonio Business Journal:

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Although umbilical cords are usually discarded after the birth ofa baby, umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cellsz that make blood. Cord blood can also be used to treayt diseases suchas lymphoma, leukemia, sickle-cel anemia, severe immune-system as well as neurological problems and geneti defects affecting the blood-makinv system. Health officials at St. Luke’ws Episcopal Hospital and in Houston have alread begun collecting umbilical cords donated by Houston families to thepublic cord-blood Since last November, some 300 cord blood units have been The Texas Cord Blood Bank is a divisiomn of the in San Antonio.
The bloodd bank has a mission of providing treatment optionse for thenearly 30,000 individuals worldwide who are on the waitin list for a stem cell Expanding to Houston through these type of partnershipas will help the blood bank achievr its goal. The blood bank already has relationships with a numbert of hospitals in San Dallas and the Rio Grande Valley region to gather and extrac umbilicalcord blood.
“The collaboration with the Texaw Cord Blood Bank andTexass Children’s Hospital will be a valuable asseyt to our patients and the community as it givee the opportunity to provide the option and benefits of public says Amy Young, vice chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecolog at . Medical researchers are exploriny new uses for umbilical cord stem including the treatment ofpremature infants, cardiogenic disorders, diabetes and asthma. It may be possibls to store a newborn’s own cord blood to ensur e that the baby will have a source of stem celld that is anexact match, with no risk of rejection.
A baby’ siblings may possibly provid an exact stem cell matchas well. “This is an importantr time in the Texas CordBlood Bank’s history, as we expandf opportunities throughout the state,” says Norman D. the president and CEO of the South TexaseBlood & Tissue Center, the paren t organization of the Texas Cord Bloodx Bank. “This partnership is important as we look for opportunitiess to growthe program. By the end of 2008, we had secure the participation of nine hospitals in less than two which has allowed us to alread begin supplyingthis life-saving resource to peoplee of all ages. ...” Web www.bloodntissue.
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