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.
"We are excited to participate in the public cord blood banking program with the Cleveland Cord Blood Center," said Carla Roberts, associate professor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Roberts is also chief of the OB/GYN service at Emory University Hospital Midtown. "Blood cells remaining in the placenta and umbilical cord after the baby is born can be useful for transplant patients because the cells are capable of developing into new bone marrow. Bone marrow replacement can be a life-saving procedure for patients with various diseases, such as leukemia, sickle cell disease and other blood disorders."
For an earlier blog of ours on cord blood research, read San Diego Bio Research Lab Turns Cord Blood into Neuronal Stem Cells in One Move.
Newborn baby
Image courtesy of Meutia Chaerani, Indradi Soemardjan
Emory University Hospital is clearly on the cutting edge when it comes to banking cord blood and saving lives. In addition to be a powerhouse in patient care, the university itself is also a very well-funded market for laboratory equipment sales. The NSF awarded Emory University $10.6 million of research funding in 2012. The funding was distributed to a number of different projects within various departments at Emory University. Of the research funding, $2.1 million went towards life science research projects alone. Among these programs of study were neural systems, genetic mechanisms, systems and synthetic biology, physiology and structural systems, and cellular dynamics and function. Emory University was ranked 22nd by the NSF in 2009 for total R&D expenditures in the life sciences, having spent a total of $417 million.
In addition to being awarded $10.6 million of research funding from the NSF, Emory University received $263.6 million from the NIH. The research funding from the NIH was also given out to a number of different departments at Emory University, including anatomy/cell biology, biochemistry, biology, biomedical engineering, biostatistics, chemistry, family medicine, internal medicine, microbiology, pharmacology and veterinary science. In 2011, the NIH ranked Emory University 18th for direct plus indirect costs excluding R&D contracts and ARRA awards, making the total $273.4 million.
Emory University Hospital
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Emory University is an important market with a great deal of research funding available for life science equipment sales. If you are a lab supplier or biotechnology vendor interested in networking with others in your field at Emory University, Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to attend our Atlanta BioResearch Product Faire™ Event on April 18, 2013. Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. is a full-service science research marketing and events-planning company that has organized on-campus science research trade shows for 20 years. Last year, our Atlanta BioResearch Product Faire™ Event was visited by 213 attendees. Of those attending, 58 were purchasing agents, professors and post docs, and 30 were lab managers. The attendees came from 34 different research buildings and 55 departments across campus. To view Emory University funding statistics, click on the button below. If you are interested in finding out more about another laboratory equipment sales market, we encourage you to check out our 2013 calendar of events.