Unlike other parts of the world, there is no public cord blood bank in South Africa. Photo: Getty Images
The SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has joined hands with Net cells, the largest and longest established private cord blood bank in Africa, making cord blood available to patients in need of a bone marrow transplant, starting this April.
Since the 90s, advances in umbilical cord blood technology have made cord blood transplants a viable alternative to conventional bone marrow or stem cell transplants. Still, up till now, access has been a challenge.
Jane Ward, Deputy Director at the SABMR, explains that unlike in other parts of the world, there is no public cord blood bank in South Africa, and the prohibitive cost of bringing in cord blood units from overseas isn t feasible for most patients. She says access to cord blood will significantly assist the registry with finding matches, especially for ethnic patients.
More ethnically diverse bone marrow donors needed to save lives
10 Apr 2021
Too monochrome: The world’s pool of bone marrow donations are kept in cold storage vaults such as this one in Dresden, Germany. (Robert Michael/Picture Alliance)
A lack of ethnic diversity among donors, coupled with cultural myths, have led to a paucity of bone marrow donors, resulting in hundreds of avoidable deaths caused by leukaemia and other blood-related diseases.
According to Jane Ward, the deputy director of the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), the lack of sufficient education to counter cultural beliefs, especially among black South Africans, contributes to donor resistance. A common myth is that regenerative stem cells are somehow body parts and cannot be parted with.
iAfrica 59 mins ago 4 min read
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The SA Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) has joined hands with Netcells, the largest and longest established private cord blood bank in Africa, who will be making cord blood available to patients in need of a bone marrow transplant, starting this April.
Since the ‘90s, advances in umbilical cord blood technology have made cord blood transplants a viable alternative to conventional bone marrow or stem cell transplants, but up till now, access has been a challenge.
Jane Ward, Deputy Director at the SABMR explains that unlike other parts of the world, there is no public cord blood bank in South Africa and the prohibitive cost of bringing in cord blood units from overseas simply isn’t feasible for most patients.
Tue, 01/19/2021
LAWRENCE University of Kansas experts helping meet the needs of children with autism spectrum disorder and their families and advancing precision cancer medicine have been named recipients of the Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award and the KU Research Staff and Postdoctoral Achievement Awards.
The annual awards recognize outstanding unclassified academic staff, unclassified professional staff and postdoctoral fellows whose research has significantly influenced their fields and expanded intellectual or societal insights. This year’s recipients:
Shelley Bredin-Oja, associate researcher, KU Fragile X Research Lab, Life Span Institute, KU Research Staff Achievement Award
Anna Wallisch, postdoctoral researcher, Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, Life Span Institute, KU Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award