Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Campaign urges Jews to donate babies' blood for stem cell pool
A stem cell donor agency in Boca Raton is launching a campaign to encourage Jews throughout South Florida to donate their newborn babies' umbilical cord blood to be used to develop treatments for some cancers and blood disorders.
The agency, Gift of Life, said Jewish participation in national stem cell banks is so low that Jews are often unable to find stem cell treatments.
Stem cells can be retrieved from the umbilical cord after birth, then used to develop treatments that boost the immune system and replace unhealthy stem cells that have caused disease. Increasing the number of donors with similar ethnic backgrounds will increase the odds of a successful match.
"Jews are not well-represented in the national registries," said Jay Feinberg, executive director of Gift of Life. "By increasing the representation, we'll save the lives of Jewish patients."
In South Florida, the agency will start appealing to mothers-to-be at synagogues and Jewish organizations.
The effort follows an umbilical cord donation campaign started by Gift of Life in Brooklyn, N.Y., in late May. A second Brooklyn-based group, Kehila Cord, is also appealing to religious Jews for donations. That group is advertising in two high-profile national Jewish publications, urging Jews to donate -- and reminding them that, under strict Jewish laws that raise the question of when life begins, this process is "undisputedly permissible."
"This is the first time there is a concerted effort to target the Jewish community," said Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, spokesman for Dor Yeshorim, which is running the Kehila Cord program in New York. "Normally, this blood would go into the garbage. [To donate], it's a mitzvah."
Experts say stem cells from umbilical cord blood can be used to treat cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, immune system disorders, inherited metabolic disease and sickle cell anemia. The procedure is still considered experimental, and recipients of cord blood must sign a consent form, said Dr. Gary Kleiner, a pediatric immunologist who works on umbilical cord research for the University of Miami.
Stem cells from umbilical cords don't evoke the same controversy and ethical considerations as embryonic stem cells; umbilical cords are usually discarded as medical waste.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pajewishcords21jun21,0,1672149.story?coll=sfla-news-cuba&track=mostemailedlink
A stem cell donor agency in Boca Raton is launching a campaign to encourage Jews throughout South Florida to donate their newborn babies' umbilical cord blood to be used to develop treatments for some cancers and blood disorders.
The agency, Gift of Life, said Jewish participation in national stem cell banks is so low that Jews are often unable to find stem cell treatments.
Stem cells can be retrieved from the umbilical cord after birth, then used to develop treatments that boost the immune system and replace unhealthy stem cells that have caused disease. Increasing the number of donors with similar ethnic backgrounds will increase the odds of a successful match.
"Jews are not well-represented in the national registries," said Jay Feinberg, executive director of Gift of Life. "By increasing the representation, we'll save the lives of Jewish patients."
In South Florida, the agency will start appealing to mothers-to-be at synagogues and Jewish organizations.
The effort follows an umbilical cord donation campaign started by Gift of Life in Brooklyn, N.Y., in late May. A second Brooklyn-based group, Kehila Cord, is also appealing to religious Jews for donations. That group is advertising in two high-profile national Jewish publications, urging Jews to donate -- and reminding them that, under strict Jewish laws that raise the question of when life begins, this process is "undisputedly permissible."
"This is the first time there is a concerted effort to target the Jewish community," said Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, spokesman for Dor Yeshorim, which is running the Kehila Cord program in New York. "Normally, this blood would go into the garbage. [To donate], it's a mitzvah."
Experts say stem cells from umbilical cord blood can be used to treat cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, immune system disorders, inherited metabolic disease and sickle cell anemia. The procedure is still considered experimental, and recipients of cord blood must sign a consent form, said Dr. Gary Kleiner, a pediatric immunologist who works on umbilical cord research for the University of Miami.
Stem cells from umbilical cords don't evoke the same controversy and ethical considerations as embryonic stem cells; umbilical cords are usually discarded as medical waste.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pajewishcords21jun21,0,1672149.story?coll=sfla-news-cuba&track=mostemailedlink
Comments:
I could not find their web site via google, I do not live in New York but I would like to get in touch with them.
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: June 22, 2005 12:55 PM
: June 22, 2005 12:55 PM
my doctor Dr ledeman quoted beshem the tosher dayn that its a great mitzvah to donate
he is the head of cybro banks
link
http://www.cryo-intl.com/index.html
just before sign up make sure that your Dr will not charged to pull the blood out
the butcher shop the schwartz group will do it due to lack of importance for others
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he is the head of cybro banks
link
http://www.cryo-intl.com/index.html
just before sign up make sure that your Dr will not charged to pull the blood out
the butcher shop the schwartz group will do it due to lack of importance for others
Comment Credit ---This article posted by : September 06, 2005 1:45 AM
: September 06, 2005 1:45 AM
