http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=011112007343&query=sclerosis
Nov 12, 2001
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/
-- Minnesota Viking Cris Carter will join Bruce Zafran, M.D., as co-chair
of "Save the Stem Cells," an educational campaign launched by CRYO-CELL
International, Inc. (Nadaq: CCEL) to increase public awareness about umbilical
cord blood as a non-controversial, readily available source of stem cells
for therapies and medical research and to educate expectant parents and
their healthcare providers about the alternatives to allowing their newborns'
cord blood to be discarded at birth.
The campaign's first educational
event is a seminar for healthcare providers, where Zafran, Carter and others
will discuss the issues surrounding stem cell preservation from the healthcare
and parenting perspectives. Those interested in attending the Nov. 14 event
in Minneapolis can call (727) 450-8002 or visit www.savethestemcells.com
for information or to make reservations.
"Bruce and Cris both will play critical
roles in the success of this international campaign," says Daniel Richard,
chairman and CEO of CRYO-CELL International. "As a board-certified OB/GYN,
Bruce can focus on educating the healthcare community about the importance
of incorporating cord blood stem cell education into their pre-natal care
practices, as well as encourage hospital administrators and chiefs of obstetrics
to make cord blood stem cell preservation a standard admission question
for expectant parents.
"As a popular, well-respected professional
athlete and an ordained minister, Cris will be able to reach a broad audience,
educating the public at large about the benefits of non-controversial cord
blood stem cells, and the importance of preserving them for the family's
own use, or donating them to medical research," Richard continues.
Found in rich abundance in umbilical
cord blood, stem cells are valuable because of their ability to regenerate
a patient's immune system when it has been damaged by disease or destroyed
by therapies such as chemotherapy or radiation. Already, stem cell therapy
is successfully used as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation to
treat a variety of diseases including certain leukemias and cancers, lymphoma,
some forms of anemias, sickle cell disease and a growing number of other
blood disorders, inherited metabolic disorders and deficiencies of the
immune system.
Tragically, in spite of their proven
viability as an alternative to bone marrow and the almost daily news of
new advances in medical therapies, less than 1 percent of the umbilical
cords and stem cell rich cord blood of the nearly 4 million children born
each year in the United States are discarded as medical waste.
The Save the Stem Cells campaign
was created to bring an end to that waste by educating expectant parents,
their healthcare providers and the public at large about the alternatives
to discarding these potentially life-saving stem cells, which include:
1. preservation with a private bank for family use 2. donation to a public
bank, where it can be matched to unrelated patients in need of a stem cell
transplant 3. donation to medical research, allowing researchers to continue
their efforts to find treatments and cures for a wide range of diseases
and conditions.
"Through my involvement with the
Save the Stem Cells campaign, I hope to do more than just inform my colleagues
about cord blood stem cells. I hope to spur them to action," says Zafran,
who is in private practice in Coral Springs, Fla. "My goal is to make cord
blood collection a routine part of the delivery process. It is a quick,
risk-free and painless procedure whose potential benefits are staggering.
Yet too often we miss opportunities to educate our patients on their options
when it comes to the disposition of their baby's umbilical cord blood."
Adds Carter: "I hope to help other
parents make a conscious decision to not allow their children's umbilical
cord blood to be thrown out. This is particularly important for ethnic
minorities, who face unique challenges if a transplant is ever needed.
When you consider that 97 percent of all sickle cell patients are African-American,
and that cord blood stem cell therapy has been successfully used to treat
this deadly disease, it's easy to understand why the simple act of preserving
or donating your baby's cord blood stem cells could one day save a life."
Donations to medical research, in
particular, are serving to rapidly expand the medical uses for cord blood
stem cells. Recently, a team of researchers at the University of South
Florida in Tampa, Fla., and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that reprogramming
cord blood stem cells has helped laboratory rats have a more progressive
recovery. A CRYO-CELL affiliate, Saneron CCEL Therapeutics discovered that
the stem cells found in cord blood are able to differentiate into neural
cells. In the future they can be used to treat a greater variety of diseases.
"Stem cell research also holds the
promise of a cure for juvenile diabetes and for the treatment of autoimmune
diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis," says
Zafran.
Adds Wanda D. Dearth, CRYO-CELL's
president and COO: "Undoubtedly, some of the most promising medical advances
to be made in decades are yet to be discovered through stem cell research
using umbilical cord blood. Yet that research won't be possible unless
expectant parents make the decision to collect their baby's umbilical cord
blood before their baby is born -- a decision they can't make if they are
not aware of their collection, preservation and/or donation options."
For more information on the Save
the Stem Cells campaign, call 800-STOR-CELL (800-786-7235).
About CRYO-CELL International,
Inc.
CRYO-CELL International, Inc. (Nadaq:
CCEL) is America's fastest growing private cord blood cell bank. The Company
has also become the largest exclusive computerized, robotically operated
U-Cord(TM) stem cell repository, which cryo-preserves cord blood for the
potential medical benefit of newborns and/or their siblings. CRYO-CELL
has pioneered America's most affordable U-Cord preservation program. CRYO-CELL
is a publicly traded company.
Forward-Looking Statement
Statements wherein the terms "believes,"
"intends," or "expects" as used are intended to reflect "forward-looking
statements" of the Company. The information contained herein is subject
to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the results anticipated in such forward-looking
statements or paragraphs. Readers should carefully review the risk factors
described in other documents the Company files from time to time with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any Current Reports on
Form 8-K filed by the Company.
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