Science Market Update

After the birth of a child at Emory University Hospital, patients will have the option of donating their umbilical cord blood, at no cost, to a bank that could help save a number of people’s lives. The cord blood can be used to treat blood diseases and disorders, such as leukemia. According to the Emory University News Center, about 20,000 people suffer from life-threatening blood disorders every year, and the banked cord blood could have an enormous impact on their treatment. Normally, umbilical cords are disposed of after a birth. Now at Emory University Hospital, women who are at least 34 weeks pregnant and expecting a single baby are eligible to bank cord blood. They will not be asked to pay a fee or monetary donation.

Emory University recently received research funding for the Winship Cancer Institute totaling $10 million from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation. The gifts will fund the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship and will be directed towards supporting the breast cancer program’s research goals in Georgia, such as funding clinical trials and recruitment. According to an Emory University news article, the Glenn Scholars program, which donates research money to Winship scientists whose breast cancer research has a high impact, will also benefit from the research funding.

The Emory/Georgia Tech Regenerative Engineering and Medicine Center has awarded $630,000 in the form of 11 seed grants targeted towards new research in regenerative medicine. The grant-funded research attends to the issue of how the body (including bone, muscle, nerves, blood vessels and tissues) can take advantage of its own potential to heal or regenerate after disease or trauma.

Emory University has created an intriguing new online news center that collects diverse, captivating multimedia content on a single web-based platform. The Emory News Center launched on January 26th and will be able to reach audiences through a variety of media channels. The approximately 4 million annual visitors to Emory’s website will be able to access exciting new online features and services now that the site has launched.