On the fourth press conference we announced opening of the cord blood bank and Bundek race
The umbilical cell bank, which was established on the initiative of Ana Rukavina Foundation, should be opened on Ana’s birthday, on March 28th. That’s the announcement from today’s press conference. Umbilical cells are stem cells which are collected after the birth from umbilical cord and in case of illness can replace the diseased bone marrow by transplantation. Dr. Mirando Mrsić, hematologist in KBC Zagreb explained the process of umbilical cord blood cells collection and said that the procedure is done after a birth without complications by a simple procedure which is not harmful to the newborn and the mother and doesn’t require any changes in a regular course of childbirth.
Umbilical cord blood is one of the stem cell sources and so far it was thrown away after the childbirth, despite the fact that all types of blood cells can be developed from it, said Mrsić.
It was announced that the blood which will be drawn at childbirth will be analyzed and stored in the Clinical transfusiology Institute in KBC Zagreb.
It was said that there are two types of stem cell banks from umbilical cord blood. The first one is a Family bank where a dose from umbilical cord blood belongs to the family and is not used to treat any patients outside the family. The second type is a Voluntary bank, where the family voluntarily offers a blood dose from umbilical cord blood for treatment of patients outside their own family. The dose from umbilical cord blood stored in such way becomes part of the voluntary donor Registry. A humanitarian race around Bundek lake which will take place on Sunday, March 25th to celebrate birthday of Ana Rukavina, journalist who died last year of leukemia, was also announced on the press conference. Source: HINA
Pictures by Bernard Čović