The New York Times - October 18, 2005
Tina Kelley

Blood from the placenta and umbilical cord contains stem cells, and researchers hope such cells can eventually play a role in curing diabetes, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, as well as in helping patients with strokes or spinal cord injuries.

Stem cells can also take the place of bone marrow in transplants for people suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia. Use of these cells is less controversial than use of embryonic stem cells, which entail the destruction of an embryo.

Currently, less than 1 percent of placental and umbilical blood is donated for research, one expert estimated, and the rest is discarded as medical waste.

Recently, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academies, which advise the government on science, to study how to create a national system for the collection, distribution and use of umbilical cord blood. According to the institute's Web site, "22 public banks have been established in the United States to collect, store, and distribute donated cord blood."

Banked blood is frozen to keep cells alive in case they are needed later. Some private banks now preserve cord blood at a cost of $1,200 to $1,800 for parents concerned that children or other family members might someday need a transplant.

New Jersey's bank differs from banks in other states because it will provide free blood samples to researchers providing that the amount is not large enough for transplantation.

Mr. Codey also signed an executive order directing state officials to educate doctors and nurses about the medical value of placental and umbilical blood donations, and to create two pilot programs, in Camden and Paramus, to help new parents donate placental and umbilical cord blood shortly after a baby is born.

Blood donated to the two nonprofit banks, the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program at Community Blood Services in Paramus and the New Jersey Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, will be tested and registered with the National Marrow Donor Program and Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, registries that match donors with patients worldwide who need transplants.

Mayor James J. Tedesco III of Paramus was on hand at the announcement, with Koren Ayers, his daughter, and her son, Alex, whose cord blood was donated to the bank. The governor's order calls for special steps to encourage minority families to donate, because they are underrepresented in the broader donor pool and they are disproportionately affected by diseases like sickle cell anemia.

The state's efforts will likely cost about $300,000, for education and outreach programs, and perhaps to pay for a few staff members at participating hospitals, said Kelley Heck, the governor's spokeswoman.

According to state health officials, the cells will be available free to New Jersey researchers, and to out-of-state researchers for a fee that has not yet been determined.

Dr. George Daley, a stem cell researcher at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute at Children's Hospital Boston, noted that cord blood cells have been exposed to few pathogens and are less likely to cause graft versus host disease, a potentially deadly complication for transplant recipients.

"I think it's really a wonderful contribution that New Jersey is making to the potential treatment of patients with leukemia and genetic diseases of the blood," he said. "Any effort which increases the total number of samples banked increases the likelihood that any given patient will find a match."

New Jersey's other efforts to encourage stem cell research include the nation's first state-supported stem cell research institute, the nation's second law specifically legalizing embryonic stem cell research, and a proposal to spend almost $400 million for stem cell science, which is still far behind California, where voters approved a $3 billion ballot measure to support stem cell research in November.

Mr. Codey said he expected a bill to provide $150 million to build the institute to pass by the end of the year, and he hoped its groundbreaking, which had originally been planned for August, could come next summer. To donate placenta and umbilical cord blood, parents must sign a consent form and complete a medical history, for use if the cells are later used in transplants or other procedures. The blood must be collected within 24 hours of a birth. Expectant parents who want more information about how to donate can call 1-866-SAV-CORD (1-866-728-2673).

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