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PRESS RELEASE: CureSource Issues Statement on Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells vs. Embryonic Stem Cells May 12, 2004 05:27 PM US Eastern Timezone CHARLESTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2004--CureSource, Inc., of Charleston, SC, responds to the former first lady, Nancy Reagan's endorsement of human embryonic research. Reagan recently promoted the use of embryonic stem cells in the treatment of many neurological diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Diabetes, etc. Reagan is endorsing embryonic stem cells, which are taken from human embryos and are obtained in the destruction of a fetus. Stem cell research for the treatment of a multitude of diseases is advancing everyday. However, it is equally as important to note the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells as opposed to human embryonic stem cells. Stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord of a live birth are equally as effective in the treatment of disease without the moral and ethical issues involved in embryonic stem cells. Dr. Roger Markwald, Professor and Chair for the department of cell biology and anatomy at the Medical University of South Carolina said, "Embryonic stem cells have too many limitations, including immune rejection and the potential to form tumors, to ever achieve acceptance in our lifetime. By that time, umbilical cord blood stem cells will have been shown to be a true 'gift from the gods.'" It is important to note the difference between embryonic stem cells and umbilical cord blood stem cells. Embryonic stem cells divide and can become a human, thus presenting an ethical issue. There are no ethical issues with cord blood stem cells as they do not have the ability to become a potential life. "Cord blood stem cells have the same capacity to cure disease as do embryonic stem cells, as they can become any cell in the body. However, they do not have the capacity to replicate life and therefore pose no ethical issue of destroying a potential life," said Dr. William Schmidt, Jr., an Oncologist with the Charleston Cancer Center in N. Charleston, SC. "The use of umbilical cord blood stem cells in the treatment of disease is one of the most prominent advancements in medicine today. Developments in this field will revolutionize medicine and disease treatment" said Dr. Markwald. To learn more about umbilical cord blood stem cells and umbilical cord blood stem cell banking, Contact CureSource toll free 1-877-723-2247 or online at http://www.curesource.net Contacts: Anna Brody, 843-723-2247 Fax: 843-723-2447 [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Business Wire (press release) - May 12, 2004 http://tinyurl.com/2rljo * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn