News
Kiwi children with cystic fibrosis set to benefit from cord blood lung study
Three more kiwi children are set to benefit from a cord blood lung study currently underway in Melbourne. Led by Professor Bob Williamson at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, the study is using umbilical cord blood to treat Cystic Fibrosis an inherited disease in which a thick mucus clogs the lungs, making it…
Stem cells help lung sufferers breathe easier
Australian researchers have just found a way to use stem cells to reduce injury and scarring in the lung and even generate new lung cells. Lead researcher, associated professor Yuben Moodley from the University of Western Australia, said the investigation could provide hope for patients suffering from lung damage. In Australia, one in four are…
Has your child been diagnosed with a brain injury?
If your child has been diagnosed with any one of the following conditions and you have their cord blood stored at CordBank, we’d like to hear from you: • Any type of brain injury from a fall or accident • Cerebral Palsy • Stroke • Brain injury resulting from lack of oxygen prior to or…
Successful stem cell treatment for acute spinal cord injury in dogs
In February 2010, a study reporting the successful treatment of spinal cord injury in dogs using cord blood was released – with researchers confident that the this technique has many potential applications in the treatment of human spinal cord injury. While previous research on spinal cord injury has typically used rats, this study used dogs…
Cord blood cells may provide therapy for muscle and bone disorders
Stem cells that could one day provide therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be easily harvested from the umbilical cord, just as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells to treat some blood disorders, said University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in the online version of the Journal of Biomedicine…
Own stem cells – the best stem cells says global WHO study
A study initiated by the World Health Organization and published in the May Journal of the American Medical Association shows that stem cell transplantation has become an accepted therapy worldwide and that the majority of transplant patients received a source of their own (autologous) stem cells. This global study evaluated the more than 50,000 stem…
Cord Blood Brings New Hope for Children with Cystic fibrosis
The O’Neill family from Cambridge are the first New Zealanders to take part in a ground breaking medical study into cystic fibrosis, thanks to the generosity of CordBank. The O’Neills decided to bank the cord blood of their second son, Lenny, in the hope that it may one day be able to help treat his…
New Zealand Honorary Knight gives $10M towards US cord blood work
A foundation established by Julian Robertson, New Zealand’s first honorary knight and prominent philanthropist, has given $10.2 million to Duke University in the USA to advance the use of cord blood as a therapy. Robertson, who is renowned for his philanthropy and investment in New Zealand, has over the last 15 years developed two luxury…
Stem Cells and Cornea Repair
Major news outlets recently reported research demonstrating that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a specific type of stem cell with unique properties, restored transparency to the cloudy corneas of laboratory mice. The data, presented by researchers during the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting in December 2009, suggests that transplantation of umbilical MSCs could be…
Cord Blood Banks are Not Stem Cell Clinics
A recent story filed by Agence France-Presse (AFP), a Paris-based news service, offered a very misleading perspective on the current state of cord blood banking as well as the legitimate medical use of cord blood stem cells. In essence, the reporter failed to recognize the difference between overseas “stem cell clinics” offering “unproven cures” and…