|
Aplastic Anemia News - Return to News Menu
Sen. Charles Schumer Lends His Support to Bill Establishing National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Network
To: National and Metro Desks, Heath and Education Reporters
Contact: Gladwyn Lopez of Rubenstein Communications, Inc., 212- 843-9231, or Rich Miller-Murphy of the New York Blood Center, 212- 570-3101 or 917-439-1727
NEW YORK, May 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D- N.Y.) urged passage of the Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005 (S. 681) during a press conference at the New York Blood Center on Mother's Day. At the press conference, Sen. Schumer announced his support of the bill, which if passed would create a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Network. Mothers Tracey Dones and Ramona Shih, recipient Steven Sprague and New York Blood Center's (NYBC) president and CEO, Robert L. Jones, M.D., and its National Cord Blood program director, Pablo Rubinstein, M.D., joined in the announcement.
"This is exactly as it sounds, turning medical waste into medical miracles. What a wonderful gift to call for on Mother's Day. Mothers bringing one new life into the world, can possibly save another one by donating their umbilical cord blood," said Sen. Schumer. "If we standardize the process, there's no reason why nearly every mother can't donate."
Every year several thousand U.S. children and adults develop a lethal disease like leukemia and lymphoma, aplastic anemia and certain inherited diseases of the blood and immune system that can only be cured with a marrow transplant. An estimated 20,000 have no relative who can give them bone marrow. Most of these cannot find a suitable unrelated donor among the several million volunteer donors in marrow donor registries.
Cord blood stem cells, obtained from the placenta and umbilical cord (the afterbirth) of newborn babies, have been successfully used to treat such patients. Cord blood, donated by the mother, is a non-controversial source of stem cells, which-unlike bone marrow-can be collected without risk of any kind to donors and can be stored frozen, in fully viable condition, ready to be used at any time for a transplant. Another great advantage of cord blood is that -unlike bone marrow-it does not require an exact match with the patient's tissue type. Thus, patients with uncommon tissue types, as is the case for many ethnic minority patients, can find appropriate matches. Recipients do better, however, when the cord blood is well matched. The pending federal legislation will help create a large inventory of high quality cord blood units so that nearly all patients have a chance to find a well- matched cord blood graft.
Cord blood is already a well-accepted source of hematopoietic (or blood-forming) stem cells for children. According to recent reports in the New England Journal of Medicine (Nov. 25, 2004 - Vol.351, No. 22) -- one of which focused on the outcomes of National Cord Blood Program stem cell graft recipients -- showed that stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood also are an effective option for adults.
"Senator Schumer's support of this bill marks a great step in our fight to save lives," said Dr. Jones. "We hope that his involvement serves as a catalyst for other legislators to join this effort so that patients in need of a transplant do not have to die waiting for a match. There is another option: cord blood."
The bill was introduced earlier this year into the House of Representatives (HR 596) by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) on Feb. 2 and into the Senate by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on April 8 (S 681). The bill would authorize $15 million in federal funds during fiscal year 2006 and such sums as needed in FY 2007 to FY 2010 to subsidize Cord Blood Banks to collect, process, test, freeze and store cord blood units, reflective of the ethnic diversity of our country, and make them available for transplantation. The Network allow up to 90 percent of patients to find a well-matched cord blood unit.
"We are delighted that our own Senator,Charles Schumer, is supporting this important legislation," said Dr. Rubinstein. "No patient in need should go without a transplant. By passing this bill, our country will start to fulfill that goal."
Two patients and two mothers who attended the press conference provided living proof of the life-saving potential of cord blood: Steven Sprague was one of the first adults whose life was saved by cord blood; Tracey Dones' son Anthony received a cord blood transplant at 5 months of age for osteopetrosis, a rare genetic bone disorder; and Ramona Shih, donated her baby's cord blood to NYBC in 2002. According to Mr. Sprague, "This legislation gives new hope for all patients searching for a stem cell match ... adults as well as children. The patient community hopes that Congress will recognize the urgency to quickly implement this Program." "Passage of the bill would mean that more people could be transplanted and much quicker," said Ms. Dones. Of her experience donating cord blood, Ms. Shih said, "It's an incredibly simple act that could have such profound consequences. It's like giving life twice."
The New York Blood Center's National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) pioneered banking cord blood for use in clinical transplantation. More than 28,000 mothers have donated their baby's cord blood to the program, which has provided cord blood transplants to more than 1,700 patients around the world.
New York Blood Center (NYBC), one of the nation's largest community blood organizations has been providing blood, transfusion products and services to patients in New York and New Jersey hospitals since 1964. The New York Blood Center is also home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute and the National Cord Blood Program, the nation's largest public cord blood bank. New York Blood Center operates a Clinical Services division as well as a Hemophilia Services division in collaboration with the Hemophilia Consortium -- providing critical drugs and blood products delivered to the homes of area hemophilia patients. New York Blood Center is not affiliated with the American Red Cross.
For more information, visit the National Cord Blood Program's informational Web site at http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org.
|
