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Cord blood stem cell transplant hopes lifted
Cord blood stem cell transplant - hopes lifted
Matching donors cannot always be found, despite extensive registries
A technique which may eventually remove the need for matched bone marrow transplants has been used in humans for the first time.
It is hoped that "master cells" taken from umbilical cords could be used on any patient without rejection.
The latest advance, published in the journal Nature Medicine, greatly multiplies the tiny number of cells from the cord ready for a transplant.
UK charity Leukaemia Research said this could be the "holy grail" for doctors.