“It’s been 26 years since the first umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant. Still, 99% of all cord blood is thrown away, and that’s often because it’s not easy to make a donation,” says host Barbara Lewis.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 150 trials are currently underway testing therapies using stem cells from umbilical cord blood.
“These are like little fighter cells that can grow into a number of different things and they provide huge opportunities for patients,” says Melinda Caltabiano, the Director of Clinical Services at the New York Blood Center.