In today's paper, a story about cord blood, the stem-cell rich tool doctors are now discovering can play a vital role in helping children with leukemia, sickle disease and neurological disorders.

Duke doctor Joanne Kurtzberg is spearheading a new effort to drum up donations of this blood by distributing kits to pregnant women. The idea is to spur a grass-roots donating movement by putting the kits directly into the hands of pregnant women, who would then direct their doctors to collect the blood and ship it off to blood banks. There, it could be used in blood transplants and could save lives.

Kurtzberg directs the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, one of three programs participating in the kit initiative.

From this Duke press release on the program, here is some contact information if you're interested in donating.

Mothers interested in donating their baby’s cord blood to a participating public bank may contact the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank Public Kit Collection Program by calling 919-668-2071 (daytime only).

For more information about public cord blood donation and the National Marrow Donor Program, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1-800-MARROW-2.

A recent change in law re-opening federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has a lot of scientist smiling these days.

Among them is William Snider, director of UNC Chapel Hill's Neuroscience Center.

For 20 years, Snider has focused his research on axons, nerve processes central to paralysis. as stem cell research begins to take off, experts say one area that could benefit is spinal cord injury treatment and research, Snider's area of expertise.

I spoke with him recently about what a new era of stem cell research might mean for people with spinal injuries. He spoke of the promise that embryonic stem cell research offers as well as one big red flag researchers are watching for.

Here are excerpts.

With the change in law, will funding for this research be made available to more scientists, or is this a relatively small field of experts who do this work?

I think this likely means funding will go to many more scientists. I haven't read all the details of the change, but one of the big problems we have had - at UNC - in trying to recruit people in this research area is that because one could not use federal funds for work related to embryonic stem cells, you'd need private donations for packages to recruit researchers. Even laboratories, you'd need separate laboratories not funded by the National Institutes of Health. You'd have to set up a parallel research facility. Presumably now that will not be the case.

I've heard you couldn't even use a microscope paid for with federal dollars?

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