News

Jun 2015   AMTF stands for Afzaal Memorial Thalassemia Foundation. AMTF - Helping Blood Disorders is a charitable foundation that was launched in November 2003 by Dr. Asim Qidwai along with a group of doctors, philanthropists, social workers, and parents of children suffering with blood disorders, sharing a vision of developing a center in Pakistan with a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of children with blood disorders.

May 2015   The ocular (eye) surface includes two major territories: the cornea and the conjunctiva, bordered by the upper and lower eyelids. It is imperative that this ocular surface remains healthy to ensure clear vision, maintain comfort and guard against infections. The ability to form tears plays an essential role in the maintenance of a healthy cornea and conjunctiva. The tear film over the eye's surface consists of mucus, aqueous, and lipid layers and contains many growth factors and vitamin A, which are essential for regulating the proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of the ocular surface epithelium.

May 2015   There is an aura that surrounds stem cells and their use. These rare cells are lifesaving, and are often the last resort, when transplanted into patients with blood malignancies. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a source of blood stem cells and their use to treat patients has been embraced worldwide since the first UCB stem cell transplant in 1988.

Apr 2015   Stem cell therapy has the ability to revolutionise how we treat debilitating and life threatening illnesses. Despite the potency and potential of stem cells in cord blood, millions of litres of cord blood are discarded in the UK on a daily basis. This happens due to under resourced hospitals and low levels of awareness amongst healthcare professionals and parents-to-be. Wasting this resource has had a significant impact on the development of stem cell therapies in the UK and consequently the number of lives that can be saved.

Apr 2015   /en/family-bankingSpain is a "funny" country from the private cord blood banking perspective, let me explain: Spain has a decentralised health system comprising 19 regions (Autonomous Communities), that each regulates their own hospitals. Some regions are as small as a city, for example Ceuta or Melilla. Each region has its own health competence or "ministry" that operates its own accreditation system. It is probably difficult to understand that a country with a size in square meters between Florida and Texas has such a complicated health structure. This political organisation comes down from the cultural and political idiosyncrasy in Spain. So having explained that let me explain the legal status of private cord blood banking in Spain.

Mar 2015   Stem cell transplantation has come of age. Over 80 diseases can now be treated with stem cell transplants, and clinical trials with stem cells are in progress to provide additional therapies in the future. Those companies that provide stem cell banking with high quality and true ethics will only promote stem cell therapies that are based on scientific facts. Too many private cord blood banks are taking a more emotive approach, making false claims, and using eye-catching features to attract clients.

Mar 2015   Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®), the world's largest newborn stem cell company, and China Cord Blood Corporation (CCBC), the first and largest cord blood bank in the world's most populous country, have entered into a strategic partnership agreement for research collaboration. Recognizing the critical need to accelerate biomedical innovation and patient access to important technologies, the two prominent cord blood banks will share data on cord blood collection and preservation. The organizations will also work together to develop a family disease registry for CCBC's clients in China and jointly support newborn stem cell-related clinical trials in the United States and China.

Mar 2015   The medical potential that lies in cord blood is clear and the cord blood banking industry is booming, but have you ever considered the remaining perinatal tissues that are routinely discarded as medical waste? Walking through the aisles of some pharmacies or healthcare stores, you will find capsules of sheep placenta being sold as health supplements, "placental hair masks" and other such things. There are now international services that offer dehydration and encapsulation of your baby's placenta, even placenta cookbooks! A more realistic service is offered by a few cord blood banks that preserve the stem cells from placental blood and placental tissue.

Feb 2015   This legal case will please every family cord blood bank that has ever been attacked in the media: Moscow's Arbitration Court has given the largest damages award in the history of Russian media to Human Stem Cells Institute (HSCI) for a dispute over how family cord blood banking was portrayed in a magazine. The damages amount in rubles is equivalent to nearly USD 1 million.

Feb 2015   Regenerative medicine is a new field of medicine that offers new hope for many patients. Stem cells have the capability to induce tissue repair and ultimately reverse the progression of many diseases. This field unveils new possibilities for the alleviation of many incurable diseases.