Sacramento – The State Assembly today approved AB 34 (Portantino), legislation which would make umbilical cord blood widely accessible and available to patients.  AB 34 was first introduced by Portantino on his first day in office.

“With today’s vote of the Assembly, we’ve come one step closer to setting up the framework necessary to save thousands of lives,” said Portantino.  “When I first learned about cord blood and its potential benefits, I was shocked that it is not treated as a valuable medical resource.  I thought to myself, ‘Something that has the capacity to heal 70 blood-related diseases ought to be harnessed rather than discarded.’  I’m thrilled with the unanimous bi-partisan support this effort has generated.”

Blood retrieved from the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells.  Like bone marrow, cord blood can be used to treat many genetic disorders that affect the blood and immune system, leukemia and certain cancers.  Stem cells from cord blood offer advantages over those retrieved from bone marrow.  Cord blood stem cells are much easier to obtain than other stem cells and a broader range of recipients may benefit from them.  In spite of all these benefits, currently 97% of cord blood is discarded along with the placenta.  With 500,000 births per year in California, these figures represent a major missed opportunity to relieve the suffering of thousands Californians.

Although commercial blood banks are available, they typically charge an initiation fee of between $1000 to $2000 and an annual maintenance fee of between $50 and $150, making cord blood banking unavailable to many Californians.  There is currently no statewide cord blood collection program in California.  Minority communities in particular suffer from difficulties in finding donors.  AB 34 will surely help this effort.”

“When my wife and I tried to donate our daughter’s cord blood, we found it extremely difficult to do,” continued Portantino.  “In order for this life-saving technology, cord blood needs to be available to anyone that needs it.”

The impetus of the bill stems from the Assemblymember’s own personal experience.  Years ago, a close family friend had a child who was gravely ill with leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer.  Unless a bone marrow transplant can be found, the disease is usually terminal.  However in Jordy’s case, he got a second chance.  Through the UCLA Medical Center he was referred to Johns Hopkins where he received an umbilical cord blood transplant.  The new cells helped rebuild Jordy’s ravaged immune system and today he is a healthy high school student in Virginia who aspires to be a filmmaker.

When Portantino and his wife tried to donate their daughter Bella’s blood, they ran into a host of problems.  With only two hospitals in California that accept cord blood, the family had to find a private bank willing to take Bella’s blood assuming the delivery doctor and hospital to cooperate. After packing the blood on ice and making the shipping arrangements himself, Portantino promised to change the system if he were ever in a position to do so.

At the most recent count, AB 34 passed by a 75-0 margin.  The bill will now be considered by the State Senate in the coming months.