Sir, - We wish to correct the impression given by your reporter Dick Ahlstrom in his article "Umbilical cord blood may save leukaemia patients" (Science Today, August 31st) that "searches" for donors for patients with leukaemia who require bone marrow, blood or umbilical cord transplants are initiated or undertaken by hospital departments of haematology.
The "searches" are undertaken in their entirety by the Irish Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry which was established by the Blood Transfusion Service Board with research grants from the Irish Cancer Society and funding from the Round Table. The registry undertakes both tissue typing and "searches" for donors for patients both in Ireland and abroad who do not have a suitable family donor. These "searches" include all international bone marrow and cord bank registries and the cord blood used in the umbilical cord transplant described in the article was identified in this way. - Yours, etc.,
Prof S.R. McCann, National Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, St James's Hospital, Dublin 8.
Dr E. Lawlor, Irish Unrelated Bone Marrow Registy, BTSB, Dublin 4.