Biotech Company Provides Lifesaving Technology as Public Service

SAN BRUNO, Calif., July 29, 2004/ PRNewswire—Pregnant women who have a child or family member fighting cancer, leukemia, or sickle cell anemia have a free medical service available that can help save a life. Cord Blood Registry, the leading provider of cord blood banking services, offers stem cell storage— at no cost— to families dealing with life-threatening illnesses.

The most recent recipient of this lifesaving service, dubbed the Designated Transplant Program (DTP), is eight-year-old Haley Knutsen of Gilbert, Arizona. Haley has been battling leukemia since age two, but earlier this month, the DTP enabled her to receive the best treatment option—a transplant of her newborn sibling’s cord blood. Her physician and family hope that she may soon be cured.

Doctors use stem cells, like those found in cord blood, to treat over 75 serious conditions including sickle cell anemia and acute and chronic leukemia. Hayley’s brother, Jayce had his cord blood collected when he was born, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored. It was then thawed for use in Haley’s transplant earlier this month. Transplants using cord blood stem cells from a genetic relative have shown to provide more than double the survival rate when compared to unrelated donor cord blood transplants.

The DTP is available to expectant parents who have a child or other family member who has been diagnosed with a disease that may require a stem cell transplant. The newborn’s cord blood is collected in a risk-free, painless procedure immediately following birth. Cord blood is routinely discarded with the placenta, but a growing number of doctors and consumers are advocates of cord blood banking.

“Cord Blood Registry recognizes the medical value and importance of related stem cells, and we are committed to saving lives,” says Tom Moore, CEO and founder of Cord Blood Registry. “To date, we have facilitated cord blood storage for over 1,000 families through the DTP. We also direct significant resources to help make sure expectant mothers and physicians are aware of this program.”

The Knutsen family, along with Haley’s doctor Michael Graham, M.D., director of pediatric bone marrow transplantation at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, appeared on CBS’s The Early Show on July 23, 2004, to talk about the benefits of having her brother’s cord blood available.

“What is notable this time is that Haley has suffered far fewer side effects, that it’s a much milder transplant to go through,” said Dr. Graham. “And that’s part of the excitement of being able to do it from a related donor.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/23/earlyshow/health/main631412.shtml

To learn more about family cord blood banking or Cord Blood Registry’s Designated Transplant Program, visit www.cordblood.com or call 1-888-CORD BLOOD.

About Cord Blood Registry
Cord Blood Registry is the leader in cord blood stem cell processing and cryopreservation for familial use in transplantation and regenerative medicine. The cord blood stem cells preserved by CBR are collected immediately after the birth of a newborn and are then available to be used in treatments for the newborn, siblings, and any compatible genetic family member. Once transplanted, the cells have the ability to repair damaged or diseased tissues with little risk of rejection and increased long-term survival. CBR's unique storage system protects each unit from potential cross-contamination over extended periods of time. The company's research and development is focused on collection, processing, and storage improvement to optimize cell yield. Additionally, CBR facilitates collection of donated research samples to provide a cellular resource for the nearly 200 research programs worldwide that are focused on stem cell expansion and cell-based therapies. Current stem cell research includes treatment of injuries and diseases of the central nervous system such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, as well as heart disease, and liver and pancreas diseases and injury. CBR was the first cord blood bank to be accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks in 1998 and has successfully provided more than 30 viable samples for use in lifesaving medical treatments. For more information visit http://www.cordblood.com, or call 1-888-CORD BLOOD. Cord Blood Registry is a registered trademark of Cbr Systems, Inc.

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