More cord blood donations urged

Mothers-to-be have been urged to donate the umbilical cord blood of their newborn child so that stem cells may be used in research and therapy.

Expectant parents in China are urged to donate their newborns' umbilical cord blood, a rich source of stem cells, and increase awareness of its medical benefits, experts said.

China needs a total of 70,000 to 100,000 donated cord blood units to treat life-threatening diseases, Gao Feng, head of Beijing Cord Blood Bank (BCBB), said yesterday. But the country only has 25,000 donated cord blood units as of last January, according to Ministry of Health statistics.