Cord blood can be quickly and simply collected after a baby's birth with no harm to either mother or infant. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, the building blocks that produce blood; the same stem cells that make up the bone marrow transplants that help many people survive certain cancers and other diseases. Cord blood stem cells are frozen and ready to be thawed and transplanted at a moment's notice, significantly easier and safer than traditional bone marrow donation.

The results of the COBLT Study along with a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report have further spurred the demand for cord blood stem cells. The study and the IOM report support new federal government initiatives to establish a national cord blood registry to ensure that all patients have access to stem cells. The government is preparing to open a national cord blood bank with the goal of providing an ample supply, about 150,000 cord blood units, and an efficient means of matching cord blood stems cells with patients of all ethnic backgrounds who require a transplant.

Pall's cord blood sets for collection, processing and cryopreservation are used by the New York Blood Center's (NYBC) National Cord Blood Program, the world's oldest and largest public cord blood bank. Under an investigational protocol and IND filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NYBC makes cord blood available to physicians treating children and adults faced with a life-threatening illness who need a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Pall's sets are also used by the booming private cord blood banking industry, where pregnant women can arrange to store their own newborn's cord blood in case a family member ever needs it.

In addition to providing tools that enable cord blood banking, Pall Corporation is actively involved in applying and adapti
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Contact: Marcia Katz
marcia_katz@pall.com
516-801-9128
Pall Corporation
17-Aug-2005