[HM2Viking]

The results of research led by a University of Minnesota transplant specialist and published in the Lancet this month provided good news for families of children with advanced leukemia. Umbilical-cord blood, the study confirmed, is as effective a treatment as bone-marrow transplants.
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Minneapolis is at the center of all this, and not just because of the university's involvement in research and transplantation. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is headquartered here; in addition to its work in helping patients through the marrow search and transplant process, it supports donors, fosters research -- and is also the nation's Cord Blood Coordinating Center. Congress has taken several steps over the past few years to encourage cord-blood-bank collections and expand inventories. In 2006 six cord-blood banks received funding to help reach Congress' goal of expanding the cord-blood inventory to 150,000 units within five years. But if these programs are to continue and new ones are to be started, Congress must appropriate $15 million this year to fully fund the National Cord Blood Inventory.

http://www.startribune.com/561/story/1258517.html