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Cord Blood Banking: The Importance of Education
Friday, May 7th, 2010
As the science of stem cell medicine continues to advance, education and objective information about cord blood banking is more important than ever.Public and physician education around stem cells and cord blood banking is woefully inadequate. Many do not know what options are available to them, public or family banking. The Institute of Medicine and cord blood legislation in approximately 20 states call for Ob-GYNs to educate expecting families on the options for their newborn’s cord blood stem cells. Leaders in stem cell science, such as ViaCord, have a responsibility to bridge this gap by working with OB/GYNs who are the best source of information on cord blood banking. Moreover, education is a collective job for the entire industry, including family banks, public banks, research institutions and the medical community.
When considering options for your newborn’s cord blood, it’s important to understand the following:
Categories: Cord Blood 101, Inside ViaCord, Trends in Healthcare
Giving America a Healthy Future
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010Early diagnostics reduce healthcare costs; improve quality of life
Recently, PerkinElmer CEO Robert Friel was interviewed on FOX Business News to discuss the state of the nation’s healthcare—and how the global life sciences company is doing its part to ensure a healthier future for all. The parent company of ViaCord, PerkinElmer designs and delivers advanced technology solutions that address the world’s most critical health and safety concerns. For example, PerkinElmer is the leading worldwide provider of neonatal screening systems that have helped identify more than 100,000 newborns at risk of inherited metabolic disorders.
In the FOX interview, Mr. Friel stressed the importance of early diagnostics in keeping health care costs down and improving quality of life. For instance, by opting into newborn screening programs for early detection of health threats, parents may be able to help their child receive therapeutic intervention earlier, leading to a more successful outcome. There is often a positive financial outcome as well—early awareness and intervention can help families avoid costly procedures further down the line and improve quality of life, which also reduces costs for employers, insurers…
Categories: Did You Hear?, Trends in Healthcare
2009 Recap: another great year for medical advances using cord blood!
Friday, March 5th, 2010
In the past 12 months, cord blood once again made many medical advances. Today, the list of diseases that can be treated with cord blood includes over 80 diseases. If you are a parent who has stored cord blood stem cells for your child(ren) or are considering storing cord blood in the future, there is even more exciting news. This past year gave rise to a significant amount of research into cord blood stem cells as a regenerative therapy, positioning it as a possible viable treatment for a variety of autoimmune, neurological, and metabolic disorders, diseases and injuries.
As a result, the number of cord blood units released by ViaCord for medical application grew significantly. By year end, more than 175 units total had been released. Of the 43 units released in 2009, 74% of them were used to treat patients participating in clinical research.
A recent news report from an ABC news affiliate highlighted some of the recent medical advancements being made using cord blood as a regenerative therapy.
Categories: Emerging Treatments, Trends in Healthcare
We Need To Fight—So Premature Babies Don’t Have To!
Monday, November 16th, 2009
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Did you know that the rate of premature birth has never been higher? And doctors, scientists, researchers and loving parents and families simply don’t understand what is going wrong.
Today, medical advances give even the tiniest babies a chance of survival—yet for many babies, premature birth is a life or death condition. In fact, it’s the #1 cause of death during the first month of life. And babies who survive face serious health challenges and risk lifelong disabilities.
ViaCord and PerkinElmer (ViaCord’s parent company) support the March of Dimes and their efforts to “fight for preemies”. The March of Dimes has organized a social event on November 17th to raise attention to this vital issue and over 300 bloggers have signed up to participate.
Our contribution to the discussion is on the topic of Pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is the most common form of dangerous prenatal complications, occurring in about 8-10% of all pregnancies. The condition can quickly become life-threatening for mother and baby, with delivery as the only treatment option—even if delivery is premature.
Categories: Trends in Healthcare
The value of cord blood—even greater than once imagined!
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
This month, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are reporting that umbilical cord blood can be used to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)—that are immunologically immature with properties similar to human embryonic stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells are of considerable scientific interest because they are “totipotent” —meaning they have the ability to generate all cell types within the human body and form embryos. For these reasons, they hold remarkable potential for regenerative medicine—the ability to unlock the body’s potential to repair and regrow cells and tissues that may be damaged by trauma or disease.
But the political and ethical debate around embryonic stem cells makes them controversial…
Categories: Trends in Healthcare
The Promise of Stem Cell Research: A Podcast
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
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If you want to learn more about how researchers are using stem cells to advance human health, here is a great opportunity. Recently, Dan Marshak, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of PerkinElmer, was interviewed for an installment in the podcast series: The Better Chronicles . Dr. Marshak is an expert on stem cells, and in this brief podcast, he talks about how stem cells are helping researchers uncover new ways to discover and identify pharmaceutical agents and determine their safety and efficacy in the treatment of disease. In particular, Dr. Marshak talks about research being conducted at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute , which may ultimately provide treatment options for spinal muscular atrophy, a debilitating disease which can leave infants and children without any motor control of their limbs.
Categories: Emerging Treatments, Trends in Healthcare