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Princess Kiko allows cord blood to be taken, donated to blood bank
Kyodo News
6 September 2006
TOKYO, Sept. 6 -- Princess Kiko, who gave birth Wednesday to the Japanese imperial family's first male heir in nearly 41 years, showed willingness to donate umbilical cord blood to a blood bank, according to her doctor.
Masao Nakabayashi, 63, head of a medical team in charge of the princess' delivery, said that the 39-year-old princess allowed cord blood to be extracted, saying she would do so ''if it will be of help to the people.''
Nakabayashi, who is also head of Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo where the princess was hospitalized for the delivery, added that he is thinking of having the cord blood registered with a blood bank.
Cord blood contains many of the blood-forming stem cells capable of producing all the components of blood and bone marrow and is used to treat illnesses such as leukemia.
Usually donated cord blood is stored frozen and officially registered with a blood bank after ensuring the baby has no health problems six months after its birth.
The Japanese Cord Blood Bank Network, comprising 11 blood banks nationwide, said the number of cord blood transplants between unrelated persons totals more than 3,000 cases.
The transplant recipient will be chosen via the network and the donor and the recipient will not know each other's identity.
==Kyodo
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