For the last month, we’ve introduced you to several local families who bear the burden of Autism on a daily basis. They make the most of their situation knowing there’s no known cure for Autism and the cause is still very much a mystery. Here’s the statistic. 1 child in every 110 will be born with Autism. That means roughly 97 children born today will be diagnosed with Autism and it doesn’t stop there either. More than 1.5 million Americans live with the disorder which is the fastest growing brain disability in the country with an annual growth rate around 17%. Currently there is no cure, but that could be changing in part to what could be one of the biggest medical breakthroughs in history. And it’s being done with what doctors once deemed medical waste. The phenomenon is called cord blood banking and this week I had the chance to see the process first hand at the Cord Blood Registry, CBR, in Tucson, Arizona. It’s the world’s largest cord blood bank with more than 300000 stored and it has the chance to change the face of medicine forever. “It’s almost as if a light bulb went off in their child’s brain. Their vocabulary starts to increase. They just seem more with it, more alert,” said Christine McMurry, communications director with CBR out of Tucson. Cord blood banking is a process in which parents choose to have the blood from their child’s umbilical cord stored at birth where it will stay until it’s needed again for an infusion or transplant. “In cord blood, it’s new …
Cord Blood America, Inc. (http://www.cordblood-america.com) (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI), the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, today said that clinical trials ongoing in the U.S. using umbilical cord blood in the treatment of cerebral palsy, high-risk hematologic cancer, injured spinal cords and Type 1 diabetes provide significant further evidence of the importance of storing umbilical cord blood at the time of birth.
“We are asked with some frequency why store these stem cells available only at birth. On our web site at www.corcell.com is a list of more than 70 diseases that are already treated by these stem cells, including acute and chronic leukemia’s, severe aplastic anemia, Hodgkin’s Disease, a number of inherited metabolic diseases and immune system disorders and malignancies including Ewing Sarcoma and Sickle Cell Disease,” said Matthew Schissler, co-founder and CEO. ”Once in a while, it is my duty and obligation to step away from the day-to-day and reflect on the larger scope of work in the umbilical cord blood stem cell arena. In doing so, I recognize that our loyal shareholders may not be privy to all of the data we receive, involving the outstanding studies with these cells. It is my hope that a simple statement such as this, can direct our shareholders to the resources publicly available.”
“What is truly exciting is that the National Institutes of Health at www.clinicaltrials.gov now lists clinical trials ongoing at such prestigious research institutions as Duke University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to understand the possible usage of stem cell infusions for the treatment of intractable diseases, including Type I diabetes in children, cerebral palsy in children, chronic spinal cord injuries, lymphoma and other blood borne cancers,” Mr. Schissler said.
“Also, there is research ongoing elsewhere in the world to use umbilical cord blood stem cells to combat Alzheimer’s, cardiac disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis and stroke. This truly is an excellent time to be involved in this sector as we work toward our goal of becoming the most significant stem cell company in the world,” said Mr. Schissler.
Cleveland, Ohio leveraged buyout firm Riverside Co. has acquired private cord blood bank Celvitae Biomedica S.A. in Madrid, Spain for undisclosed terms.
Celvitae is one of two cord blood banks licensed in Spain and authorized to work in the public health system, Riverside said in a release. It also has major commercial agreements with some of the leading insurance companies in the Spanish market.
Last year, Celvitae struck a strategic agreement with MD Anderson Internacional Espana, a cancer treatment center in Europe that ensures all cord blood stem cell samples collected in Spain are processed within 24 hours at its Madrid facilities.
). On * average, the noscript tag is called from less than 1% of internet * users. */–>Riverside will add Celvitae to its Crioestaminal platform, the Cantanhede, Portugal company that is a pioneer and market leader in the isolation and storage of cord blood stem cells. More than 40,000 parents have trusted the company to store their children’s stem cells.
Riverside acquired Crioestaminal last year. The Celvitae acquisition was made from Riverside Europe Fund IV. Riverside is co-headquartered in New York City.
This is me explaining how to care for your babies umbilical cord care and a bit of advice on cord blood banking. www.babycenter.com www.cordblood.com www.mayoclinic.com
