Harvesting stem cells

A 37-year-old woman in South Korea, paralysed 20 years ago, is now walking again. The miracle recovery was made possible after stem cells harvested from umbilical cord blood were introduced into her injured spine, initiating a process of nerve cell regeneration and healing. Scientists say cord blood-generated multipotent stem cells can be safely used in treatment of other debilitating diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and even diabetes.

Cord blood stem cells, then, could be the answer to resolving the pesky ethical questions worrying the patients and medical, legal and governing communities worldwide with regard to researching and/or availing of the cutting-edge stem cell technology. The other sources of stem cells ... entail destroying the embryo after extracting the stem cells. Hence the ongoing debate among the pro-choice and pro-life camps over the use of this technology.

With Indian biotech companies ... already investing heavily in stem cell lines and cord blood banking, there is no doubt that this will be the next sunrise biotech area. -- The Times of India, New Delhi