Absract Archive   April - 06 How safe are GM Foods? Making of GM crops and their impact. Part - 1 Introduction The terms Genetic Engineering and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have developed unfortunate connotations in the minds of the public, not in the least due to lack of proper information. Ten years since GM crops were first introduced for commercial cultivation, many countries still debate as to the safety issues in cultivating them, with an equal number of countries ranged for it. Authors:Indira P. Sarethy, V.R. Swamy Cord Blood Wealth from waste. “Umblical cord blood Banking : Need of the next millennium” Abstract Cord blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta after delivery of the newborn. Due to ignorance cord blood was viewed as unusable and discarded for many years. Collection of cord blood is an one time opportunity immediately after birth of the child. It is rich in antioxidant enzymes and vitamins. Antioxidants are the rapid scavengers of highly reactive oxygen free radicals that are formed in our body. The umbilical cord blood is a clinical gold, a wealth from waste contains a unique population of CD 34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells, which continue to generate cells throughout our lives. Cord blood stem cells also have a one in four chance of being an exact cell match for a sibling and so it is currently being used as an alternative to bone marrow transplantation. The need for biological insurance of cord blood is mainly used in case of treating life-threatening diseased and to treat infants born to couples with mixed ethnicity in disposing of the need for bone marrow donors. Imbilical cord blood is just one instance in which private companies have contribute and will continue to contribute to the development of important new technologies. Cryopreserved umbilical cord blood cells may fill the gap in finding a stem cell transplant for patients who lack a matched related or unrelated donor when a bone marrow transplant is needed. However, the delay for the engraftment procedure is still an important clinical problem for children. What was a discard has become valuable, indeed priceless to many children with leukemia and autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Author:J. Poongothai