What baby discards could save

Tom Blackwell, National Post

For fetuses, the umbilical cord is a lifeline. Once those babies are out of the womb, however, the cord becomes so much medical waste, tossed out even if the cord blood is saved for future use. But now a group of Toronto researchers says it has discovered that umbilical cords are a "virtually inexhaustible" source of promising stem cells, helping scientists avoid the ethical minefield around cells retrieved from human embryos.

24/06/2010