New Yorkers! Rally behind Jennifer Jones Austin!
The Brooklyn-based mother, lawyer and family advocate has been stricken with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and has become the face of a city-wide blood and bone marrow drive in conjunction with New York Blood Center (NYBC) and The City University of New York (CUNY).
After feeling tired, believing it was just a virus, Jennifer was diagnosed. Once she confirmed, unfortunately, that her siblings were not a match for a transplant, she turned to the “Be The Match” blood drive going on now at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
According to statistics, only 10% of the donors registered with the National Marrow Donor Program are African American, and the changes for a match improve greatly when race and ethnic synergies exist. This is a grim stat and calls for African Americans to stand up and be counted in the bone marrow registry! What better way to help your community than this?
We’ve seen this before, as reflected in an article in our e-newsletter, “Multirace matches a problem in bone marrow transplants. “
Help Jennifer out, won’t you? Here is the article, and the details for registering with “Be The Match.”
http://www.prweb.com/releases/BMCC/Jennifer_Jones_Austin/prweb3566364.htm
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February 8th, 2010
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Researchers at the Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Tx http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=1674 received 12 individual grants totaling $11.5 million to be used for cancer prevention grants.
The grants went to a wide variety of research projects focused on various cancers, including the treatment of blood cancers in which there is currently aggressive, experimental use of cord blood stem cells.
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February 5th, 2010
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Here’s the real shame: a family decides to donate the cord blood stem cells at the birth of their child, however, the hospital at which she will deliver cannot accommodate the mom’s desire to donate that which will be discarded as trash.
Many hospitals are set up to collect cord blood, but many are not. The hope is that this will change in the future, but today, in the case of Natalie Salama-Levy, her baby’s cord blood will be taken out with the garbage while a child awaits a match to fight disease. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8459919.stm
If you’re thinking of donating, please investigate hospitals in your area before commiting to a particular institution.
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January 29th, 2010
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Today, blood cancers such as leukemia are treated with blood and bone marrow transplants which, as we know, are often difficult to match.
Some readers may have heard that umbilical cord blood is being tested against these diseases because young stem cells often do not generate a reaction from the immune system. Evenwhen not matched, therefore, they may be accepted by a patient’s system.
However, umbilical cord blood is ”far less rich in the stem cells needed to cure the cancer and so takes longer to establish itself in the patient – leaving the patient open to infection and death.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7010490/Blood-breakthrough-for-leukaemia-patients.html
Now a team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have come up with a way of increasing the concentration of stem cells, enriching the blood in the laboratory, and transplanting cells that engraft more quickly. These cells replace the cancerous blood cells giving the patient the chance to produce more healthy cells and advance in the treatment process.
The naysayers of cord blood banking see only what can be done today; each day more possibilities become apparent in the battle to fight these diseases.
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January 25th, 2010
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We are hearing more and more about the experimental uses of cord blood stem cells to treat kids who’ve suffered from neonatal stroke resulting in cerebral palsy. In fact, our own Baby John met these circumstances at birth, and had a transfusion of his own cord blood through a program at Duke University. We’re reading about more kids following this path (read about Max http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=7218964) with success.
Now, there is news about the ongoing experiments that infuse cord blood stem cells to fight diseases like type-I diabetes. According to a report on ABC, “…researchers believe stem cells in the blood slow the immune attack of diabetes so the pancreas destroys fewer insulin-producing cells. “ Any news is good news when you’re faced with the challenge of a life-altering disease.
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=7218964
Researchers believe stem cells in the blood slow the immune attack of diabetes so the pancreas destroys fewer insulin-producing cells.
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January 22nd, 2010
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New research has discovered that mesenchymal stem cells from cord blood might be beneficial for patients with severe eye and corneal disease. The study transplanted the stem cells in an attempt to restore transparency to the cloudy corneas of laboratory mice.
Corneal disease is currently treated through cornea transplants. Unfortunately, there is only a limited supply, leaving many patients without options.
The human stem cells were transplanted into the corneal stroma of the mouse eyes. The cleared the cloudiness from the corneas of the mice. In addition, these cells survived for more than 3 months without much sign of graft rejection. With any type of transplantation, rejection is one of the biggest concerns. The body tries to reject things that it finds foreign. In fact, when the study explored human umbilical hematopoitic stem cells, they were often rejected.
Umbilical blood stem cells hold amazing potential for the treatment of a number of different diseases. This is just one example of the amazing potential for stem cells. To learn more about future potential for cord blood treatments, click here.
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December 14th, 2009
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An organization called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) commissioned a study to examine toxic chemicals that are found in the umbilical cord blood of babies. The study found up to 232 different chemicals, including Bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to disruptions in the endocrine system which can cause reproductive, neurological, and behavioral problems.
The EWG found BPA in 9 out of the 10 cord blood samples it tested from racial and ethnic minority groups. It is the first time that BPA has been found in cord blood.
While this will not impact cord blood collection and storage, it does demonstrate what children are being exposed to, even before they are born. The EWG believes that any chemical that is found in cord blood should be given the highest priority for tough regulatory action to protect the public health.
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December 10th, 2009
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The state of Oklahoma is looking at developing a public cord blood bank. Unfortunately for residents of the state, there are not enough births in Oklahoma to justify a state public bank. Right now, for Oklahoma and other smaller states, the only option for cord blood banking is going through a private bank. While public banking is definitely a great option for some families, it isn’t widespread enough to make it a viable option for everyone. This is another area where private banks come through for families.
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December 7th, 2009
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The scientific journal Cell Transplantation has 2 studies that have explored umbilical cord blood stem cell treatments for lung and heart disorders. Both studies were conducted using animals so they are very preliminary, but they offer great potential for future treatments.
In one study, researchers investigated the therapeutic benefits of transplanting human umbilical cord blood (UCB) mensenchymal stem cells (MSC) into newborn laboratory rats with oxygen-deprived lung injury. They found that the cells have a protective effect against hyperoxia-induced lung injury, likely due to anti-inflammatory effects. These results might eventually lead to the discovery of treatments for hypertoxic neonatal lung disease, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature human infants.
Another research team examined the potential therapeutic role of umbilical cord mononuclear cells (UCMNC) for the treatment of congenital heart defects. They found that the transplants enhanced diastolic properties, most likely through blood vessel growth. The study found that UCMNC transplants are “feasible and safe” and seem to “positively influence the diastolic properties of the RV under chronic volume overload.”
While these studies are very preliminary, they demonstrate the potential for the future of cord blood stem cells. Visit M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood to learn more about cord blood banking or call (914) 683-0000.
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November 29th, 2009
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M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood Laboratories is on Facebook. Stop by and visit our Facebook page and become a fan. Our Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest about cord blood banking, what’s happening with M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood and what the scientific community is learning about cord blood stem cells.
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November 25th, 2009
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