WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ViaCell, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIAC) and Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland reported results today that children with Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia can be cured with umbilical cord blood from a compatible sibling. At the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and National Institutes of Health (NIH) 35th Annual Convention, Dr. Mark Walters, Director of the Blood and Marrow transplant program at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland presented research data demonstrating that cord blood from a relative can be an effective source of stem cells for transplantation in children affected with Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia and may have advantages over bone marrow transplantation.