STEM CELLS ARE GIVEN TO MANY KINDS OF PATIENTS

The Bone Marrow Donor Registry maintained by the Blood Service contains the details of people who have volunteered to donate bone marrow or blood stem cells to a patient needing them. Stem cells can be used, for instance, to treat malignant blood disorders such as leukaemia.

The Blood Service also operates a Cord Blood Bank for storing placental blood collected from volunteer mothers after childbirth. Placental blood is processed at the Blood Service into a stem cell preparation that can be used in a similar way to bone marrow transplants in treating patients.