Umbilical Blood Called Lifesaver

Blood taken from newborns’ umbilical cords appears to offer a good source of lifesaving tissue for cancer victims and others who likely would die without bone marrow transplants and do not have related donors. The largest study yet of transplants using cord blood for patients who have no related donors shows a lessened risk of potentially fatal reactions that can result when people get marrow from donors whose tissue types are not closely matched.