A new blood bank is being started in the National Blood Bank of the Magen David Adom, to be known as the National Placenta Blood Bank. Prof. Eilat Shenhar explained to Arutz-7 that the blood will be collected from after-birth placentas, which until now have been thought to be of no value and have been disposed of. \"It turns out,\" she said, \"that the placenta that gives nourishment and life to the fetus while it\'s in its mother\'s womb can continue to give and save life even after the birth. In the blood that gathers in the placenta, about 100-120 milliliters worth of blood, there are blood cells that can help patients who require a bone marrow transplant.\"
The blood will be checked and sorted according to tissue types, as is done when searching for bone marrow donors, and will be stored in a deep-freeze of -190 degrees Celsius. \"There are two important advantages,\" said Prof. Shenhar. \"One is that this organ would otherwise have been thrown out. More importantly, precious time is saved when searching for a donor because the blood will already be there when the need arises.\"
The blood will be checked and sorted according to tissue types, as is done when searching for bone marrow donors, and will be stored in a deep-freeze of -190 degrees Celsius. \"There are two important advantages,\" said Prof. Shenhar. \"One is that this organ would otherwise have been thrown out. More importantly, precious time is saved when searching for a donor because the blood will already be there when the need arises.\"