A person’s blood stem cell type is inherited, which means a patient is more likely to find a matched donor from within their own ethnic group.
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RSSMiami, FL (PRWEB) October 01, 2012
The Conference was geared to offer attendees the opportunity to attain updated information regarding current and future applications in cord blood stem cells as well as the ongoing research in regenerative medicine. It took place at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge Massachusetts, in the vicinity of Harvard University, minutes from the heart of Boston.
The event was attended by 300+ notable and prominent doctors, scientists and regulators in the field of stem and featured numerous keynote speakers. The program kicked-off with the chairman’s opening remarks on the perspective on the cord blood market. Entities involved in the collection, processing, cryopreservation, transplantation and research shared their and experiences with the rapidly evolving future of cord blood stem cells and related tissues. Some presentation topics included were:
- Newest and most exciting cord blood technologies
- Current clinical trials
- Compliance with new FDA regulations surrounding cord blood therapy
- Cost effective ways to improve access opportunities to patients
- Ethnically and diverse inventory of cord blood stem cells
- Lack of availability in minority units banked for future treatments
Umbilical cord blood preservation is a process by which blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and is stored cryogenically in a specially-designated bank. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, cord blood contains cells that can be transfused to a patient to treat various diseases, including lymphoma and leukemia. Currently, there are approximately 80 treatable diseases and the list of illnesses continue to grow. Cord blood is rich in stem cells and there is less risk for the recipient’s immune system to reject the cells, because certain immune cells found in the cord blood are not mature. Cord blood can be used to treat the child from whom the blood was collected as well as some first-degree relatives who are a close genetic match, such as family members. Additionally, patients can get the treatment in about three weeks - as opposed to six to eight for bone marrow from an adult donor.
“A person’s blood stem cell type is inherited, which means a patient is more likely to find a matched donor from within their own ethnic group,” said GeneCell’s Director of Operations, Jose Cirino. “More than half of cord blood donations and privately banked cord blood in the United States are from Caucasians while minorities remain underrepresented. By increasing the awareness of cord blood advantages among minorities, there is a potential for increased access to therapies for more people.”
The shortage, or “lack of availability”, affects patients of African, Asian, Hispanic and Native American Indian descent. Since patients who need a transplant are more likely to find a match within their own race, Cirino adds it is important that the pool of donors reflects the overall community.
Why isn't everyone banking these cells? What transpires is that people are not informed about stem cell banking and some have never even heard of it. Most people are not aware they have stem cells in their body, they believe that stem cells only come from human embryos since that is what is mainly discussed in politics and the news. However, this is not the case. These cells are found in adults and there are no moral, ethical or political issues surrounding these cells.
“The amazing thing about these cells, aside from their potential to treat a variety of different diseases, is that for the most part they can be harvested from the individual through relatively minimally invasive procedures and can be cryogenically frozen (at a temperature of -321 F) and stored for decades until a disease manifests or they are needed for cell-based therapies” added GeneCell’s Director of Research & Laboratory Operations, Dr. Todd R. Flower.
GeneCell International specializes in the collection, transport, processing and cryogenic storage of adult stem cells from various sources including; umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, dental pulp and adipose tissue (fat) that can later be used to treat a variety of diseases. The laboratory is also involved in scientific research and development with a range of stem cells from various adult tissues. The facility is governed and inspected by the FDA as well several other regulating bodies to ensure the safety of these cellular therapies.
Alongside its commitment to educating the public on the benefits of cord blood preservation, GeneCell is committed to being on the forefront of stem cell research. GeneCell International is the only Cord Blood, Cord Tissue and Dental Pulp Processing and Cryogenic Storage Laboratory to offer this cutting-edge, “regenerative medicine” technology in Miami, Florida.
About Umbilical Cord Blood Preservation:
Umbilical cord blood preservation is a process by which blood is collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby and is stored cryogenically in a specially-designated bank. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, cord blood contains cells that can be transfused to a patient to treat various diseases, including lymphoma and leukemia. The list of illnesses that can be treated with cord blood continues to grow. In addition, the cord blood can be used to treat the child from whom the blood was collected, as well as some first-degree relatives who are a close genetic match, such as family members. Cord blood banking is regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and each year more and more parents choose to save their children’s cord blood should the medical need arise.
About GeneCell International:
GeneCell International, LLC is a trusted provider in the collection, processing and storage of adult stem cells from various sources which have the potential to treat a variety of diseases and disorders. Headquartered in Miami, Florida and with local offices in Central Florida, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, India, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, GeneCell operates state of the art laboratories and storage facilities for the cord blood and dental pulp of thousands of clients. For more information and to learn more about cord blood banking, dental pulp or other GeneCell services, please visit GeneCell's website at http://www.GeneCell.com, their Facebook page, Twitter Page, Pinterest Page, or YouTube Video Page.
