NJ To Create Storage Bank For Umbilical Cord Blood

New Jersey will create a storage bank for umbilical cord blood to aid stem cell research, under an executive order signed Tuesday by acting Gov. Richard J. Codey. State officials say it will be the first such program in the nation. Two nonprofit community blood banks will accept donations from healthy newborns made with parents' permission. Under the one-year pilot program, the blood will be used for treatment of illnesses, such as leukemia, or to conduct research. An estimated $300,000 each will be given to the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program at Community Blood Services in Paramus and the New Jersey Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden, said Cynthia Kirchner, senior policy adviser to the state's public health commissioner.