Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Blood Information » Resources

60% of Donors Would Donate Unused Embryos for Stem Cell Research

Sarah — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:45:41 +0000

About 50% the patients being treated at U.S. fertility clinics say they’d be willing to donate their unused embryos for stem cell research, according to a survey by the journal Science. This would mean that up to ten times as many embryos would be available for research than previously estimated, should U.S. legislators ever permit their wider use.

In response to the study findings, co-researcher Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly, of Duke University, said, “We were surprised. “When we asked these infertility patients about what they thought they would do with embryos, 50% said that they would be likely to donate some or all of them for research, and 60% said that they would be likely to donate them for stem cell research,” added Lyerly, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University and core faculty at Duke’s Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine.

“This is a dramatic increase in what we might estimate as the number of embryos available for research purposes,” she said.

Storing Umbilical Cord Blood Video

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Choose to store your baby’s stem-cell rich umbilical cord blood… This video shows you how its done.

Donating Umbilical Cord Blood

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Donating your child’s umbilical cord blood is a wonderful way to help someone who needs it.

The umbilical cord used to be thrown away when a baby was born. But these days, blood from the umbilical cord can be collected after your baby’s birth and donated to a public cord blood bank to help someone with a life-threatening disease!

Donating is a simple thing to do. Receiving can be the gift of life.

If you were to choose to donate your child’s umbilical cord blood, your labor and delivery are not affected at all. No blood is taken from your baby or yourself, only from the umbilical cord itself once your baby is born.

Get information to help you make an informed decision

Cord blood is changing lives today – Learn about how umbilical cord blood offers hope
Options for cord blood – Understand your options for donation
Cord blood donation FAQs – Find answers to your questions about umbilical cord blood donation

Learn how to donate your Umbilical Cord Blood

How to donate cord blood – A step-by-step overview of the donation process, including your role, how cord blood is collected in the hospital and what happens at the public cord blood bank to your umbilical cord blood.
Learn if you can donate – See medical eligibility guidelines for donation. Some people can and some can’t.
Where to donate – Find out if your hospital works with a public cord blood bank and whether there is a public bank in your city

NMDP commitment to cord blood donation

For 20 years, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has matched people (donors) and patients to facilitate bone marrow transplants and help save lives. Today, the NMDP is dedicated to partnering with cord blood banks all around the world to build a strong network and inventory of high-quality cord blood units available to any patient who needs a transplant.

In 2006, the NMDP was selected by the U.S. federal government to operate the nation’s Cord Blood Coordinating Center. We are conducting a research study on cord blood transplantation and patient outcomes. (Learn more about our network of banks in the United States — listed in Where to Donate — as well as international cord blood registries.)