Public Cord Blood Bank in Texas Awarded 1.2 Million State Grant
A $1.2 million matching grant has been awarded to a facility building up the state’s only public umbilical cord blood bank for transplanting to patients with life-threatening diseases and cancers said Governor Rick Perry.
Texas Cord Blood Bank in San Antonio has collected more than 1,000 units of cord blood, which can be used to treat leukemia, sickle cell disease and metabolic disorders.
“Cord blood treatment and research respects human life and it holds tremendous potential in the battle to overcome many of the diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries,” Perry said in a news release. “That is why it is critically important for government to continue to fund initiatives like the Texas Cord Blood Bank.”
The San Antonio site is one of at least 20 such public banks nationwide. Public banks offer a free way for women to donate cord blood, which normally is discarded or banked privately by those who can afford the cost.
