The U.S. government will invest $79 million to establish a national cord blood and bone marrow bank, enabling doctors to quickly find matching blood or bone marrow for patients in need of transplants.

According to a Xinhua News Agency report from Washington on December 20, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the bill on the establishment of a national cord blood bank into law on the 20th. The U.S. Senate had passed the bill by voice vote on the 16th. Previously, the bill had been approved by the House of Representatives in May. The approval process for the cord blood bank bill had been delayed due to Congress's focus on whether to lift restrictions on stem cell research.

Under the bill, the new cord blood bank will increase the number of available cord blood units in the U.S. to 150,000, which will meet the needs of 90% of patients requiring such transplants. The bill also authorizes the continued operation of the National Bone Marrow Transplant System and integrates the bone marrow bank with the newly established cord blood bank.

Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 05/ 12/ 21/ YM- 501181. htm