Washington D.C., Jul 20, 2007 / 08:12 am
The National Cord Blood Inventory will receive $11 million more than initially planned thanks to an amendment to the current federal spending bill.
The House accepted the amendment, introduced by U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Artur Davis (D-AL), on Wednesday.
The amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill FY08, which was expected to pass the House yesterday, will now allocate $15 million to the National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI).
This brings the NCBI budget to the level allocated in the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, which Smith authored. This act created the NCBI and authorized the collection of 150,000 units of cord blood, with a focus on collecting a genetically diverse blood bank that can meet the needs of 90% of all patients.