WIRED Staff
Science

Slideshow: Law Annoys Private Cord Banks

Institutions rake in cash by convincing new parents to pay big bucks to store their babies' umbilical-cord blood. But some experts say the practice is unnecessary, and a new public network should dent private banking. By Suzanne Leigh.
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President Bush signs the smiles as he signs H.R. 2520, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. Despite the name, the bill has little to do with stem cell research, but creates a nationwide network for matching cord blood to patients. Left to right behind Bush are Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. | | Michael Enzi, R-Wyo, Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Secretary of Health and | | Human Services Michael Leavitt, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., Rep. Bill | | Young, R-Fla., Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. (AP | | Photo/Ron Edmonds)Photo: AP/Ron Edmonds

See related story: Law Annoys Private Cord Banks

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Dick Vermeil hawks private cord blood banking on Corcell's website.

Image: Courtesy of CorCell
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Cord Blood Family Trust's front door suggests that storing your baby's umbilical cord blood in their bank could save your baby's life. That's actually not very likely.

Image: Courtesy of Cord Blood Family Trust