Stem Cells Future Cure for Baldness

Today on the Today Show, they had a segment on stem cells being a future cure for baldness. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania made the discovery when studying wound healing in mice using stem cells. They soon noticed that new hair follicles had formed as well as new hair growth. It required a protein called wnt which is present in the womb. Without this protein there was no hair growth. Unfortunitly the person will have to have their head “scalped” but there is always a price to pay for beauty. This procedure is still years out but gives hope to the millions of people who are affected by baldness. The hair currently only grows in white, but that’s nothing a good dye job couldn’t fix.

State of the Union

Pres. Bush spoke briefly tonight in his address about stem cell research. He said that he would not support embryonic stem cell research put would work to increase funding for other types of stem cell research. I think that this is a good step forward for researching umbilical cord stem cells as well as for treatments. I have added a page that lists the current diseases that cord blood can help treat on my other site publicstemcellbanking.com . I was surprised at how many there are.

Public Cord Blood Banks

I have finally found a site that lists actual Public Cord Blood Banks both for the US and Internationally. www.parentsguidecordblood.org It’s an unbiased site that gives information on both public and private banking.

If there isn’t a hospital or facility near you, there are still opportunities to donate. You can work directly through a public bank. We can all give the gift of life!

Cryobanks International, Inc.

COLLECTS FOR: Research & Transplants
COLLECTS FROM: ANYWHERE!
INTERNET: www.cryo-intl.com
PHONE: 800-869-8608
STORAGE: Altamonte Springs, FL

“Cryobanks International is one of only two banks that accepts donations mailed in from anywhere. They started as a private cord blood bank, but their current business is primarily oriented towards accepting donations.”

LifebankUSA

COLLECTS FOR: Research & Transplants
COLLECTS FROM: ANYWHERE!
INTERNET: www.lifebankusa.com
PHONE: 1-877-LIFEBANKUSA (1-877-543-3226)
STORAGE: Cedar Knolls, NJ or Baton Rouge, LA

“LifebankUSA is the first cord blood bank to routinely bank the stem cells from the placenta, in addition to the umbilical cord blood. This is a separate process. They recommend collecting blood from the umbilical cord in utero, then the placenta is delivered and cells are extracted from the placenta.”

Thank you for this wonderful information www.parentsguidecordblood.org

Hope for Utah

I received an update email from Dr. Kelley “If you are delivering a Jordan Valley or the University it is possible. We will probably be up and running in St. Marks by then and maybe some IHC hospitals.” For those in the Salt Lake Valley you may have the opportunity to donate your Baby’s Cord Blood. Please take advantage of this as it will help so many people in both research and treatments. For those people who are interested in participating here is Dr. Kelley’s contact information.

Linda L. Kelley, PhD

Associate Professor Medicine

Director, Cell Therapy Facility

675 Arapeen Drive, Suite 300

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Phone: 801-585-6262

Fax: 801-585-3222

For myself I hope that one of the IHC Hospitals is the one I am delivering at. So maybe the dream isn’t over.

I may have reached a dead end

I received a couple of responses to my emails. From Steve at Q Therapeutics who was very kind to look into programs in Utah and was only able to find one run by Dr. Kelley. She replied to inform him “Not an option right now. Only University Hospital Program will be expanding in the near future. Many thanks to her and others who recognize this as a useful thing to do.” I guess I am getting ahead of the game, in Utah at least.

If anyone has a more successful experience I would love to hear about it. Please email me at publicstemcellbanking@gmail.com

I will continue in my efforts to make this quest a reality and continue to post any useful information I can find.

My Quest

So I’ve decided that since I am pregnant, I have the opportunity to try to practice what I preach. I will be blogging about my experience in trying to donate my baby’s umbilical cord stem cells. So far I have gone to marrow.org where they have information on how to donate cord blood. The links I followed to be honest were not very helpful. I am from Utah and there is only one facility listed. The link it gives me only refers to California facilities. So I Googled the facility listed and found an email address. I am yet to hear from them. I have also made attempts to contact the hospital I will be delivering at, but I have thus far been unsuccessful. My next step will be to talk to my Doctor. So far I am off to a slow start and half way to delivery time. I hope I will be successful in this quest to help better the life of another.

Public Stem Cell Banks Do Exist

Umbilical cord stem cells have the ability to save lives. Most people can’t afford to bank their child’s stem cells, and most won’t need to use them. I have wondered why there were no public banks where those who wished could donate their children’s umbilical stem cells. After much research I have found evidence that such banking systems do exist. This site is intended to make it easier for you to find out more about donating your child’s umbilical cord stem cells.