An information technology class in UALR’s College of Engineering and Information Technology created the online website that is helping the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas organize, promote, collect, and store newborn umbilical cord blood following the birth of healthy children.

Cord blood cells are a source of treatment for patients with cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma who lack a bone marrow donor. Cord blood also has tremendous promise for regenerating diseased or injured organs, including heart muscle, bone, and spinal cord tissue.

One of the advantages of cord blood is that the donor/recipient match does not have to be as perfect as it does for bone marrow and circulating blood. Since cord blood is stored frozen, it is available for use as soon as a matched product is identified.

For more information about cord blood and how to make a donation, contact Brooke Ivy at 501-686-7203 or bivy@uams.edu.