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TUCSON - Parents have a new option when it comes to their child's health. Cord Blood Registry, a Tucson based company has begun collecting and harvesting a piece of a newborn's umbilical cord.

The company is an outgrowth of work done through the University of Arizona.

The 320,000 samples are collected from children all over the world and safely stored in collection vessels.

"Cord blood stem cells are a very unique source of, they come from the umbilical cord after the baby is born, so there is no harm to mother or child and if they weren't preserved they would be thrown away," said David Zitlow of CBR.

For about $2,500, expectant parents order a kit to be used during delivery. The doctor or midwife collects a sample of blood and cuts a portion of the umbilical cord.

Zitlow says there's anywhere from between 100 million to billions and billions of stem cells in a half cup of blood.

The tissue is then put on the next flight back to Tucson and within 48 hours it's processed and saved. It can be used for the child, a family member or donated.

"What we don't know is the full scope of what they can do but if they're saved they can be used in the future and it may be as simple as repairing the cartilage after a sports injury or things more severe like head injury, Zitlow said.

Each collection vessel has the capacity to hold the cord blood of 8,000 children. Zitlow said, "Everyday, 200 samples arrive at our lab and processed and stored here so what you're

Tucson is the prime place for safe keeping, "It's environmentally very friendly there are no earthquakes, no tornados there aren't unpredictable weather patterns that can cause damage to buildings and structure so these cells are very safe and they will be kept safe until they are needed for medical use," Zitlow said.

For more information, visit http://www.cordblood.com.