Umbilical cord donation helps stem cell research

October 19, 2007

The stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood and bone marrow have treated dozens of diseases. In 1988, doctors performed the first cord blood transplant from a donor who was a sibling of the patient. Five years later, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University Medical Center performed the first successful cord blood transplants from a donor not related to the patient. Doctors have performed about 8,000 cord blood transplants worldwide. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)