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CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank Announces the Addition of Dr. John Wagner, a Pioneer in the Use of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells, to Its Scientific Advisory Board

2008-01-31 04:19 3001

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --

John Wagner, M.D., recognized as a leader in the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation, has joined the team at CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Wagner's extensive experience and knowledge in transplant medicine and stem cell biology will provide a significant contribution to CORD:USE.

"We're honored and fortunate to have him as a member of our distinguished team," says Edward Guindi, M.D., President and CEO of CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank.

Dr. Wagner is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of stem cells and use of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplant. He is a professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Division of Hematology-Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. He is also the Scientific Director of Clinical Research of the Stem Cell Institute and Director of the Center of Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics.

Dr. Wagner has played a considerable role in the development and expansion of the applications of cord blood stem cells. His investigations on the simultaneous use of two cord blood units for transplantation in adults has made it possible for nearly all patients to benefit from cord blood stem cell transplantation who otherwise would not have been candidates for this therapy.

"Without question, I look forward to working with such a distinguished board of scientific advisors and the impressive team at CORD:USE," says Dr. Wagner. "Cord blood stem cells have already played an extremely important role in the treatment of thousands of patients, and I foresee the uses of cord blood expanding, such as in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue repair. The experience and expertise of the team at CORD:USE will help ensure that CORD:USE remains a leader in the field."

Dr. Wagner joins other highly-respected leaders in the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation at CORD:USE. Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg is the Director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Program at Duke University and the Medical Director of the CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank at Duke. She performed the first transplantation using an unrelated donor's stem cells and has since performed over 800 umbilical cord blood transplants.

Dr. Wagner also joins Dr. Hal Broxmeyer, a founder of the field of cord blood stem cell transplantation and widely recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world in cord blood stem cell science. Also on the CORD:USE team is Dr. Alan Levine, who serves as the company's Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Levine enjoyed a highly successful 25-year career with the National Institutes of Health ("NIH") where he was most recently the Director of the Blood Disease Program of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH. In this capacity, Dr. Levine was responsible for initiating the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood research programs at the NIH.

Dr. Levine works closely with CORD:USE team member Dr. Esmail Zanjani, a world-renowned expert in blood stem cell biology who has led the development of the field of in utero stem cell transplantation and gene therapy as a means for curing genetic diseases prior to birth.

About CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank, Inc.

CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is creating a large, ethnically diverse, high quality inventory of available cord blood stem cell units for the many patients in need of a potentially life-saving transplant. Cord blood stem cells have been used successfully in the treatment of over 70 blood cancers and diseases. CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank has entered into agreements with hospitals across the country to provide mothers the option to donate their babies' cord blood. CORD:USE distributes cord blood units to transplanters, throughout the country and the world, as a critical component in their patients' treatment. CORD:USE lists all of its units on the National Marrow Donor Program's Registry. For more information, please visit our Web site www.corduse.com or contact Michael Ernst at 407-667-4844 or by e-mail at mernst@corduse.com.

Source: CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank, Inc.
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