SINGAPORE At least 10 Singapore families have arranged to have blood from their babies' umbilical cords stored in the U.S. as a precaution against the child or a family member developing a disease later, it was reported Monday.

Cord Life, a local firm officially launched at a recent Biomedical Asia conference, deep-freezes stem cells found in umbilical cords for potential treatment of such diseases as leukemia.

"We are working with accredited facilities in the U.S.," the **** Straits Times **** quoted spokeswoman Chan Yiu Lin as saying. "We are aiming for 1,000 clients by the end of the year."

The stem cells can be transplanted back into the patient's body to grow different cells.

Medical staff from Cord Life will be on hand at birth to extract a vial of cord blood to be sent to the U.S. for processing and kept cryogenically frozen, Chan said.

Fees range from 2,500 Singapore dollars (1,400 u.s. dollars) to 4,500 Singapore dollars (2,600 U.S. dollars).

Expert opinion differs on the usefulness of such banks, which exist in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong in addition to the U.S.

Professor Chan Soh Ha of the World Health Organization center in immunology at the National University of Singapore said it was a good idea, but pointed out that it was not known how the cells would fare after a long time in cold storage.

Other doctors told the newspaper that the stored cells might be defective if the child developed an inherited blood disorder.

The Ministry of Health licenses local clinics or laboratories, which provide storage facilities in Singapore.

DPA quoted associate professor Patrick Tan, a director at the Center for Transfusion Medicine, as saying public cord-blood banks were worth supporting.

"Cord blood should be made available to anyone who needs it, regardless of financial means," he said. 05-12-05.L02 ' '-