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Umbilical Cord Blood Transplants May Have Significant Health Impact SAN MATEO, Calif., March 25, 1997 -- The March edition of the Harvard Health Letter declares "cord blood saves lives," a fact the International Cord Blood Foundation has been "banking" on for nearly two years. The foundation operates a public cord blood bank that stores cord blood from volunteer donors for public use. Harvard advisers also named cord blood transplantation among the top ten medical advances of 1996, a designation the International Cord Blood Foundation applauds. "To their declaration that 'cord blood saves lives,' we would add only an exclamation point," says International Cord Blood Foundation president and associate professor at Stanford University Medical School, Paul Billings, M.D., Ph.D. "For almost two years, the International Cord Blood Foundation has worked to develop a living bio-resource -- a stem cell bank that can ultimately be used to save the many thousands of lives we lose each year to debilitating blood and genetic disorders," said Billings. "Harvard advisers' recognition of the importance of cord blood storage will help us achieve that goal as more and more families learn about this important pregnancy option." The blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth is a rich source of stem cells and has been successfully used in the treatment of a number of life-threatening diseases. Use of cord blood stem cells has shown considerable advantages over bone marrow in treating diseases like leukemia and aplastic anemia. Since 1988, over 500 cord blood transplants have been performed; in a large percentage of these cases, the patient received the cord blood from a newborn sibling. Researchers believe that cord blood also may be effective in treating other serious diseases of the blood and immune system including sickle cell anemia, diabetes, various autoimmune disorders and AIDS. The International Cord Blood Foundation is a non-profit organization that assists health care professionals and expectant parents by providing information on cord blood donation, family banking referrals and transplant education. For further information, contact the International Cord Blood Foundation at 415/635-1456. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version