Sweden will Create National Cord Blood Bank

Following the lead of nations like Singapore, Sweden's government has announced plans to launch a national cord blood bank. The storage and study of umbilical cord blood rich in stem cells is appealing to the Swedes.

An article notes:

"'Such a national bio bank for umbilical cord blood will make it possible to treat many more very sick children, for instance for some kinds of leukemia and immune system defects, which today demand bone marrow transplants,' Health Minister Ylva Johansson told reporters in Stockholm."

You can learn more about Sweden's plans for a cord blood banking program here.

Article Discusses Cord Blood

The Birmingham news recently published an article entitled "Medical Treasure" about cord blood and the opportunities for advancing stem cell research that its gathering and banking can produce.

The article is positive about cord blood's use as a medical tool, and is supportive of the idea of umbilical cord blood banking.

The article, however, is at least somewhat critical of private cord blood banking solutions. It notes:

"First, it's expensive. Private cord blood banks charge about $1,800 to collect, test and cryogenically store the blood. Annual storage costs are about $125. Second, most of the diseases now treated by stem cell transplants from cord blood are rare. The chance that a child will need his or her stored cord blood is small, according to the American Academies of Pediatrics and Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Most of the diseases treatable by cord blood are inherited, and, in those cases, a child is better off getting a transplant of someone else's cells. His own could repeat the genetic flaw."

You can read the full article here.

Virginia Supports Statewide Cord Blood Bank

While US federal authorities move slowly toard a national cord blood baking solution, the state of Virginia is creating its own statewide cord blood bank.

An editorial wholly supportive of the move notes:

"Of course, to broaden the application of this new technology, a national cord-blood banking system would be wise. A bill to establish one passed the House of Representatives 431-1, but a parallel measure is now stalled in the Senate. While Congress diddles, the Virginia legislature has the opportunity to move forward. Harvesting the curative powers of cord blood is both practical and moral by most standards."

You can read more about the Virgina cord blood banking issue here.

Playing Politics with Cord Blood

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council argues that Democrats resisted the recently passed bill encouraging umbilical cord blood stem cell research for political reasons.

In part, he stated:

"By objecting to passage of the cord blood bill, Democrats are holding the bill as political hostage in order to get a vote on the bill to fund unsuccessful and ethically challenged embryonic stem cell research, which has not treated a single person. While Democrats repeatedly accuse Republicans of putting politics before science, in truth, Senate Democrats are the ones who are playing politics with stem cells and with patients' lives."

I don't even know where to start with this. Sure, the Democrats are playing politics with the bill. But to pretend for one moment that Republicans have not politicized the issue of stem cell research is ridiculous.

Cord blood provides one great way to harvest stem cells for research. Embryonic stem cell research is another. Those Republicans who pretend their stance on embryonic stem cell research is not an effort to appease its Christian base are horribly disingenuous.

If you want to read more of Perkin's half-truths, you may do so here.

U.S. House Backs Umbilical Cord Blood Research

According to this story, the US House of Representatives has passed HR 2520, a stem cell research bill that opens the door for greater levels of stem cell research using umbilical cord blood.

Cord blood is a more politically palatable means of obtaining the kind of stem cells that hold so much promise for disease treatment.

Excerpt:

"The bill is better known as the 'cord-blood bill' that will allow umbilical cords to be used for stem cell research. Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells. Currently hospitals throw millions of them away each year because the infrastructure required to properly collect and store them is not available. When signed into law by President Bush, the bill will increase the number of cord blood units and cord blood stem cells available for treating patients and expanding research will greatly increase."