April 12, 2012 – A long day symposium entitled “Second Milstein Symposium: Perspective in Cord Blood Biology and Clinical Applications” was organized by New York Blood Center (NYBC) at NYBC Murray Sargent Auditorium. The event was attended by more than two-hundred doctors, scientists and other experts in the medical community.

The symposium’s opening reception took place on the ninth of April 2012 and it was hosted by NYBC Chairman Howard P. Miltein along with Christopher D. Hillyer, MD – who plays the role of a president and CEO of NYBC.

“In addition to housing the world’s longest standing and largest cord blood bank, NYBC is now home to the only cord blood bank worldwide with products that are FDA-approved for human transplantation. That is an extraordinary achievement. This symposium is a testament to the remarkable progress that has culminated with FDA approval of HEMACORD(TM).” Dr. Miltein said.

HEMACORD(TM) is a type of hematopoietic and cellular therapy product approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which cures blood forming disorders. The product is manufactured by Milstein’s team in National Cord Blood Center.

Dr. Hillyer acknowledged the 1989 NYBC Program Director – Dr. Pablo Rubinstein. Rubinstein did not only come up with the original concept of banking cord blood but he was also the world’s first founder of public cord blood program.

“Working with Dr. Rubinstein has been an unprecedented honor. He, like Howard Milstein, is an unparalleled intellect and visionary with extraordinary perseverance, and combines scientific genius with common sense. These have allowed a research project to become a licensed product – truly a ‘bench to bedside success’ – which is quite rare.”