Texas Cord Blood Bank Recognizes San Antonio’s Methodist Hospital for Cord Blood Collections
SAN ANTONIO (PRWEB) October 24, 2017 -- The Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB), a public program of GenCure, honored members of the Methodist Hospital Administration and Labor and Delivery staff for their continuing support and outstanding performance in collecting cord blood donations.
The Methodist Hospital in San Antonio has been a collection partner since the inception of the TCBB in 2005, and the collaboration has resulted in more than 104 cord blood units shipped for transplant.
Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells that give rise to blood and immune system, and though it’s normally discarded as medical waste, moms can choose to donate their newborns’ umbilical cord blood after healthy births through the TCBB. Umbilical cord blood is used as an alternative to bone marrow and peripheral blood for treatment of patients diagnosed with blood disorders such as leukemia and lymphoma. The TCBB partners with The National Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match® to increase the number of cord blood units to the national registry and for distribution of cord blood units to transplant centers.
Dr. Rachel Beddard, Medical Director of BioBridge Global, the parent company of GenCure, gave a presentation to staff about cord blood banking and its clinical applications.
“MHS’ labor and delivery staff and transplant physicians such as Dr. Quigg have played a pivotal role in the increasing success of our cord blood program, and their efforts as well as the moms in the San Antonio area who donate cord blood, are helping us fulfil our mission to save and enhance lives,” Beddard said.
Biological markers used in matching donors to recipients are inherited; therefore, adding donors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the registry increases the likelihood all patients will find a match.
About the Texas Cord Blood Bank: The Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB), a program of GenCure, is a state-established public bank that collects cord blood units for the purpose of saving and enhancing lives. Since 2005, it has partnered with hospitals across the state to collect and store thousands of cord blood units from generous Texas mothers to create a unique source of ethnically diverse, lifesaving cord blood units. Learn more at GenCure.org.
David King, GenCure, http://www.gencure.org, +1 210-731-5522, [email protected]
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