The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences opened the state’s first cord blood bank on Tuesday.
“The next critical step is to let Arkansans know how easy it is to make a difference by donating cord blood following the birth of a healthy child,” Dr. Michele Fox, director of cell therapy and transfusion medicine at UAMS and medical director of the Cord Blood Bank, said in a news release.
Cord blood cells that are harvested after the birth of healthy children have the potential to change the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans through their use in bone marrow transplants and have tremendous promise for regenerating diseased or injured tissues, according to a UAMS news release.
UAMS has one of the largest adult blood cell transplant centers in the country and is the state’s central cord blood bank and storage site.
“With further research and the operation of the efficient national cord blood banking system, more than 100 million Americans and 2 billion people worldwide could potentially be treated or cured of diseases,” Fox said in the news release.
All Arkansans now can donate these blood cells for their family’s use, public use or research. Before giving birth, donors request a kit from the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas to give their doctor at the time of birth. The donated cells then are delivered to UAMS for storage.
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