News

Feb 2021   Mohammaed was dying of leukemia. He needed a stem cell transplant from a matching donor, but no one in his large family was a match, and no match could be found among registered bone marrow donors or donated cord blood units. Then Mohammed's mother discovered that she was pregnant. This unexpected 7th child turned out to be a perfect match.

Feb 2021   Another controlled study of cord blood therapy for cerebral palsy confirms that it works. In this study led by Dr. MinYoung Kim in South Korea, Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) combined with Erythropoietin (EPO) was trialed against 3 other treatment arms. When gross motor skills are measured by GMPM scores (using ratios to eliminate baseline variations), UCB+EPO is 50% better than UCB alone, and 3 times better than EPO alone or control.

Jan 2021   A grandfather in the Czech Republic has received both cord blood and cord tissue cells from his granddaughter as part of his recovery from a serious stroke.

Jan 2021   This is an investigative report about Birth Tissue Procurement Organizations (BTPO), targeted at both healthcare professionals and expectant parents. The BTPO industry is very complex, mainly hidden, poorly regulated, and rife with questionable practices. We give an overview of how BTPO currently operate and where reforms are needed. We sum up with two types of recommendations: a call for professionals to improve supervision of placenta donation and advice for new mothers.

Jan 2021   Many societies around the world have traditions for the proper disposal of the placenta, and often believe that these rituals protect the child.

Dec 2020   Nontraditional families include single parents, same-sex parenting, multi-partnered fertility, and living with grandparents. Today, millions of children in the US are growing up in nontraditional families. These children could benefit from the health protection offered by cord blood banking as much as children in traditional families, if not more so.

Dec 2020   CellSave Arabia celebrates 15 years as the first and largest stem cell laboratory in the Gulf region. While CellSave Arabia primarily offers cord blood banking, they also seek new technologies and services for their customers. CellSave Arabia has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre (ADSCC), the healthcare centre that facilitated UAE's first stem cell transplant in summer 2020.

Nov 2020   LifeCell’s Community Cord Blood Bank has saved the life of an Indian child with aplastic anaemia. Two matching cord blood units were provided for transplant at no additional cost - saving lakhs of rupees for the family.

Nov 2020   If parents want to collect cord blood from a birth at one of the UK’s NHS public hospitals, it is mandatory to hire a phlebotomist. Also, in the UK NHS system, parents do not get to choose who will deliver their baby. The experience is a bit different from what families expect elsewhere, but cord blood banks in the UK have found creative ways to connect with parents to deliver education about newborn stem cells.  

Nov 2020   Colt’s story shows that it is possible for older children to benefit from stem cell therapy. Colt had been diagnosed with both cerebral palsy and autism. His parents took him to a clinic offering therapy with cord tissue MSC when he was already 11 years old. After the therapy, Colt had notable improvements in his speech, balance, and sensory issues.