Banking

A Novel System For Clinical Banking Of Umbilical Cord Blood

Researchers from Italy have designed a closed circuit, where Umbilical cord blood (UCB) collection and RBC depletion are performed, in order to reduce the contamination risk and to speed the nucleated cell separation//. Their findings appear in the journal Blood Cells, Molecules, and Diseases (available online 19 August 2005)Umbilical cord blood is a source of hematopoietic progenitor...

A Worm Turns: Banking on Blood From a Little Lugworm

An inconspicuous lugworm has aroused scientists' curiosity, as a potential provider of artificial blood, indeed considered a breakthrough in the medical field.// The red liquid that courses through our veins, very much our lifeline has always been in great demand. Often, there is a huge scamper for blood during complex surgeries to save the life of the patient. Nature seems to have man...

Doctor Dissuades Mothers from Umbilical Cord Banking

An expert consultant Obstetrician has asked mothers to refrain from insisting on saving cord blood in cord blood banks. // Umbilical cord blood rich in stem cells is collected and kept in umbilical cord blood banks for possible re use for the baby in its lifetime if and when required in treatment of certain medical conditions like leukemia where it can be life saving. However an expe...

Banking (T)issues : cloning issue surfaces

Recently, a survey was conducted in Australia to study the attitudes of people towards “tissue banking”. The results show that a number of Australians are concerned about the// outcome of storage of tissue samples at hospitals. Researchers from the University of Sydney found that ,most people were wary about biopsy tissue being stashed away by hospitals. Many fear that these tissues co...

Stem Cell Banking Evokes Mixed Response

Cord blood banking initiative by Sir Richard Branson has received a mixed and varied response in Britain. While this was welcomed by the doctors and scientific community,// others opined that it may not be as beneficial as it sounds. The human blood extracted from placenta and umbilical cord is called cord blood. This can be collected before the placenta is delivered or after the newbor...

Umbilical Cord Blood Banking of Negligible Value: Experts

New Delhi: Several private companies have established umbilical cord blood banks in India saying they would be a life saver for thousands. But some health experts term this// as "unethical and of negligible value". The umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells and is believed to be vital in saving the life of people suffering from leukaemia, thalassemia, blood cancer, bone m...

Significant Scientific Breakthrough in Stem Cell Banking

Scientists from the Research Department of Cryo-Save Group NV together with the University of Cologne (DE) have developed a new scientifically validated method to collect adult mesenchymal stem cells ("MSCs") from the lining of umbilical cord tissue. This revolutionary new approach allows the collection and cryopreservation of very high quantities of valuable mesenchymal stem cells without invas...