Why is cord blood collection important for ethnic minorities?

According to the Stem Cell Research Foundation, more than 100 million Americans and two billion other people worldwide suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively or even cured with stem cells. In addition, African-Americans are more susceptible to the crippling disease of sickle cell anemia, which strikes one in 400 African-Americans. At present, the only cure has been a bone marrow transplant, but early results of stem cells from cord blood transplants are encouraging. Several sickle cell patients have been cured with cord blood from related sibling donors or with cord blood from unrelated donors (see Locatelli et al, Blood 2003;101:2137-2143).

When siblings aren't a match for a patient, the odds of finding an acceptable donor jump from one in four to as high as one in 20,000 (see Diane Davis Hayes: Why Is It so Hard to Find a Match… ) .

A successful match requires compatibility of genetic HLAs or “markers” to prevent the patient's body from attacking the transplanted marrow or blood, which is known as graft rejection. (From National Cord Blood Program, New York Blood Center)

African-Americans have three main challenges in finding a donor:

• The first is simply numerical. African-Americans make up only 12% of the U.S. population; thus the pool of potential donors is relatively small.

• There is much greater variation in HLA-types among people with African ancestry than in any other group.

• Some people who have both African and European or other ancestry have unique combinations of HLA types.

With cord blood, however, a partial match is acceptable, thus increasing the donor possibilities. In fact, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently cited the treatment of Keone Penn , a sickle cell anemia patient from Snellville, using the “world's first successful cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor.”

Recognizing the enormous potential of the nascent stem cell industry, Governor Sonny Perdue signed an Executive Order in April of 2006 to create the Governor's Commission for Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Research and Medical Treatment . In partnership with universities, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, the commission will establish a network of banks to store postnatal tissue and fluids.

There are currently three hospitals (Grady, Egleston, and Scottish Rite) serving 1200 adult and 1200 pediatric patients in the metro Atlanta area under the auspices of the Atlanta Sickle Cell Consortium. Among the consortium's member institutions are Morehouse School of Medicine; Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

What is a cord blood stem cell and how is it different from other stem cells?

Umbilical cord blood, like bone marrow, is rich in potentially life-saving stem cells called hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). When they are transplanted, HPCs are effective for the treatment of blood disorders (eg., leukemia, selected metabolic disorders and immuno-deficiencies, and sickle cell anemia) and in recent years have been transplanted to more than 25,000 people in the United States alone. (From Cord Blood: Establishing a National Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank Program , by Emily Anne Meyer, Kathi Hanna, and Kristine Gebbie, 2005.)

Scientists have discovered that umbilical cord blood is a very rich source of these valuable stem cells. The stem cells can be extracted from the umbilical cord painlessly and risk-free in the delivery room. Furthermore, stem cells from the umbilical cord blood have undifferentiated characteristics (pluripotent), making them compatible with a greater number of people in terms of HLA matching. Stem cells from the umbilical cord offer the advantages of stem cells obtained from bone marrow while eliminating many of the disadvantages.

Why do we need Universal Collection?

Universal Collection means that every delivery should conclude with the collection of the post-natal stem cell tissues to be stored publicly. Doing so will ensure that an HLA match will occur when the transplant is needed by someone living in or outside of Georgia.

What actual treatments are cord blood cells currently used for?

Cord blood stem cells currently treat, whether for a cure or transplant, over 65 diseases. Among the most well known are leukemia, aplastic anemia, Fanconi's anemia, Sickle Cell Disease, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. The complete list can be found on our homepage .

What potential treatments might cord blood cells be used for in the future?

Scientists believe that cord blood stem cells could someday be used routinely to replace diseased cells and tissue in a wide range of diseases, including but not limited to heart attacks, cerebral strokes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and various forms of cancer. The research is limitless for these types of cells, despite what the media incorrectly portrays.