Blood donor bank collaborating with maternity hospitals to treat kids with cancer

The president of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry on Thursday spoke of their foundation’s activities and projects, focusing particularly the cooperation with maternity hospitals.

Sevak Avagyan said that they now have contracts with 10 maternity clinics to facilitate the delivery and freezing of umbilical cord blood. The specialist noted that the blood stems cells contained in the umbilical cords separated from newborns are the freshest samples that can be highly useful in the treatment of
leukemia.

“Should problems arise in future, there will be no more need for a donor, as [the patients] themselves will be their own donors,” he said.

To facilitate the collection, processing and the preservation of stem cells parents will be initially required to pay 1,000 US Dollars, but the sum will be later reduced to 50 Dollars per annum, the specialist said, adding that 12 people have already taken the step.

He added that the stem cells can be preserved for an unlimited period without any change in the quality. The doctor said that such banks, operating in different countries of the world, can be both government-funded and privately-owned.

Mary Tadevosyan, an obstetrician gynecologist from the Maternal and Child Health Protection Center, added for her part that the procedure poses no threat to either the child or mother.