Sweden will set up a national biobank of stem cells collected from babies' umbilical cords bloodafter they are born, the government said Thursday.

Health Minister Ylva Johansson said, the government will allocate 15 million kronor (1.9 million US dollars) to set up the bank, which aims to treat children suffering from serious diseaseslike leukemia.

The process would be an option instead of a must for parents, she said.

Cord blood is removed from a baby's umbilical cord and placentaafter being born, and is considered easier to collect than traditional bone-marrow donation.

Source: Xinhua