What: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2000 Annual Meeting
presents a clinical session on Stem Cell Research.
At the forefront of this relevant topic has been the news of the promising
benefits of umbilical cord blood stem cell banking and transplantation
-- particularly when used between siblings.
Six-year-old Molly Nash recently received an umbilical cord blood stem
cell transplant for a genetic disease called Fanconi Anemia. The cord blood
came from her baby brother, Adam Nash, who was a test-tube baby, chosen
because he was free of the disease and was an exact match for Molly's blood
type. Because survival rates are so much higher in transplants using a
siblings cord blood (85% vs. only 31% with unrelated cord blood), Molly's
doctor chose to wait 9 months to use the cord blood, instead of immediately
treating her with unrelated donor stem cells.
On Wednesday, October 18, 2000, Molly's transplant physician,
Dr. John Wagner of the University of Minnesota said, "The infused (cord blood)
cells are taking over the functions of Molly's bone marrow ... we have a
success."
Why: Cord Blood banking has hit the radar screen. The unrealized, full
potential of cord blood stem cells has spurred the National Institutes of
Health to design a five-year, $30 million study investigating the safety and
efficacy of cord blood transplantation. The cord blood stem cell procedure
saves a baby's cord blood, collected before the placenta is delivered, and
stores it for future transplantation to revitalize the immune system and to
treat a variety of diseases. The opportunity to preserve a newborn's cord
blood -- an important decision for every expectant mother -- provides a
safeguard and peace of mind for families in the face of future illness. Cord
blood stem cells are readily available and when they are from family members,
can potentially double the survival rate for certain diseases. Genetically
related cord blood stem cells also increase compatibility between donors and
recipients and cause less rejection than those from bone marrow.
When: Stem Cell Research Session will be held Saturday, October 28th,
8:20 a.m., conference runs Saturday, October 28th - Monday, October 30th.
Where: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2000 Annual Meeting at
the Lakeside Center, McCormick Place in Chicago.
Press materials and Cord Blood Registry representatives will be available
at the AAP's 2000 Annual Meeting at Lakeside Center, McCormick Place in
Chicago, October 28th - 30th. Booth #430, 431.
For more information, contact Sam Yoo, Communications Coordinator for Cord
Blood Registry at 800-588-6377 ext. 239.
SOURCE Cord Blood Registry
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