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New York Blood Center Praises Passage of Stem Cell Therapeutic & Research Act of 2005 Which Will Help Save Lives of Thousands

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 December 2005, 15:00 CST

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, President George W. Bush signed the Stem Cell Therapeutic & Research Act of 2005 (HR2520) into law in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. New York Blood Center initiated the three year effort advocating the legislation. New York Blood Center Chairman of the Board Howard P. Milstein and President and CEO Robert L. Jones, MD, applauded the U.S. Congress' unanimous passage last week and signature by the President today. New York Blood Center scientists Drs. Pablo Rubinstein and Cladd Stevens began the field of public cord blood banking nearly 15 years ago. Now this new National Program will give hope to all patients afflicted by lethal diseases of the blood, such as leukemia, lymphoma, severe aplastic anemia, myelodysplasia, as well as certain immune and metabolic diseases, including severe combined immune deficiency ("Boy in the Bubble" disease), adrenoleukodystrophy ("Lorenzo's Oil" disease) and Krabbe disease, the condition that recently took the life of Jim Kelly's young son, Hunter.

The legislation approved will help create an inventory of 150,000 high-quality cord blood units. According to a recent report at last week's annual meeting of the American Society for Hematology in Atlanta Georgia, cord blood provides a blood stem cell source that is as good as, if not better than, bone marrow. Unlike bone marrow, however, cord blood does not have to be a perfect match to the patient's tissue type, making it much easier to find an appropriate match. NYBC scientists estimate that the national cord blood inventory will provide a suitable match for 80-90 percent of patients, regardless of their ethnic background. Thus, an inventory of 150,000 can substitute for a marrow donor registry of several million volunteers. And, unlike bone marrow, cord blood is banked, fully tested and ready to go immediately, whenever and wherever it is needed.

Cord blood is an especially critical resource for African- Americans who like everyone else, can be afflicted by diseases like leukemia that may require a transplant, but also suffer the added burden of sickle cell anemia, a chronic, debilitating disease of red blood cells that may ultimately kill. As a very diverse minority, however, African-Americans have an extremely difficult time finding a matching donor, estimated at less than half the chance of U.S. citizens of European ancestry. Cord blood changes the equation, making equal access to a transplant an achievable goal.

New York Blood Center's National Cord Blood Program began in 1993 as the world's first "public" cord blood bank with cord blood donated by generous mothers, after their baby's birth, to anyone who might need a marrow transplant. So far, more than 31,000 mothers have donated cord blood to the NYBC Program, making it the world's largest single public cord blood bank, and nearly 2,000 patients around the world have benefited as a result. Since the NYBC Program began, other banks have joined this effort, but banking cord blood is expensive and must be done in a manner that assures the quality on which patients' depend. Now federal funding will provide the seed money to support and accelerate banking and give everyone a chance at restored health.

"We and all the patients who will be helped applaud the efforts of Representatives Chris Smith and Artur Davis for their sponsorship of this bill," said Dr. Jones. "They both have been strong advocates in the fight to save lives through providing more and better cord blood transplants. NYBC and the patients we work so hard to help also are grateful for the tireless support from Senators Hatch, Brownback, Harkin, Specter and Dodd and all members of Congress who have given the Nation its best gift this holiday season by their actions in passing this new legislation." Mr. Milstein added, "We are delighted that both Houses of Congress and the President have agreed to enable the life saving umbilical cord blood research pioneered at New York Blood Center to gain availability to many thousands of Americans. Congratulations to Drs. Pablo Rubinstein and Cladd Stevens, who have devoted their lives to this work."

Stephen Sprague, one of the first adults cured of leukemia by a cord blood transplant, remembered when his life hung in the balance, "Unable to find a suitable bone marrow donor, I was told in 1997 to get my affairs in order. I was lucky to find a cord blood match and became one of the first cord blood transplant recipients." He added, "With the passage of this legislation, patients won't have to be lucky to find a match. They will have the advantage of a cord blood inventory created by design, not purely by chance. Patients will truly have another option and new hope."

"We are so happy that soon we will be able to ensure that no patient in need should have to go without a transplant," said Dr. Pablo Rubinstein, Director of NYBC's National Cord Blood Program. "Cord Blood stem cells are a real option for children and adults; by the passing of this legislation, we will now be closer to fulfilling that goal and giving all patients a fair chance."

NYBC, one of the nation's largest non-profit, community-based blood centers, has been providing blood, transfusion products and service to patients in New York and New Jersey hospitals since 1964. NYBC provides medical services and programs (Clinical, Transfusion and Hemophilia Services) through its medical professionals and transfusion medicine physicians. NYBC includes five regional recruitment, collection and distribution operations in Manhattan, Brooklyn/Staten Island, Long Island, New Jersey and the Hudson Valley.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) is home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, the National Cord Blood Program (NCBP) and Milstein National Cord Blood Center, the world's first and largest public cord blood bank. NCBP has collection sites at hospitals throughout the New York metropolitan area (The Brooklyn Hospital Center; North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health Systems; New York- Presbyterian Hospital; Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, in Virginia at Inova-Fairfax Hospital and in Ohio at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

For more information, visit NYBC's National Cord Blood Program's informational website at http://www.nationalcordbloodprogram.org.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE -- Robert L. Jones, MD, President and CEO of New York Blood Center, Pablo Rubinstein, MD, Director of NYBC's National Cord Blood Program, Cladd Stevens, MD, Medical Director of NYBC's National Cord Blood Program, and Steven Sprague, Cord Blood Recipient are available for interview by contacting Rich Miller- Murphy at 212-570-3101 or Gladwyn Lopez at 212-843-9231.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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