SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH Natasha's Place believes cord blood is the best stem cell source for all people and the only viably safe source for people of mixed heritage and many minorities. The HLA haplotypes are the DNA that determine if the potential donor will match the person in need of a transplant - one of the baby's haplotypes is provided by the mother and the other by the father. Our research is focused on developing maps to chart the HLA haplotypes of different races and ethnic groups to determine what combination of race and ethnicity will likely provide the best donor for a specific person, especially those of mixed heritage. We use this approach to examine a person's HLA haplotype and develop strategies to find pregnant women who are more likely to be having babies with matching haplotypes. Click here for a paper on such research. We are also developing non-invasive tools to determine the HLA haplotype of a yet-to-be born baby. This allows us to find a specific cord blood donor for a specific person without waiting for the baby to be born. The person in imminent need of a transplant would then be able to relax because he or she would have one or more donors in hand and, from the delivery date, know approximately when the donation would be available. The cord blood would then be collected after the baby's birth and stored until the patient is ready for his or her transplant.