Donor Banks Agree to Link Databases

The China Stem Cell Donor's Bank and the Shanghai Umbilical Cord Blood Bank signed an agreement on Sunday that allows people in need of a stem-cell transplant to search the databases at both facilities simultaneously.Officials said the agreement will improve the chances of finding a matching donor and streamline the process.Previously, people in need of a transplant had to search the two banks separately, which caused problems as many people didn't know about the umbilical cord blood bank.Since it was established in 1996, the stem cell bank has gathered data on 700,000 potential donors and provided stem cells for about 600 transplants."Since stem cells from newborn's umbilical cord blood is more primary, the requirements for finding a matching donor are lower than using adult's stem cells," said Yang Hong, an official with the Shanghai Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, which opened in 2004.By Cai Wenjun