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ShareStem cell research and therapy is gradually making its presence felt in India. Recognising this, the Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Biotechnology are formulating national guidelines, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal announced last week.
And though stem cell therapy is still at a nascent stage, a growing number of Indians are putting their faith in it. In a bid to ensure that their families can lead healthier lives, free of problems, they are investing in cord stem cell banking.
Here, instead of discarding the umbilical cord right away, blood is taken from it and 'banked'. This blood is rich in stem cells, which are believed to be the key to future medicine.
Their regenerative powers could help treat a variety of problems like strokes, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Scientists believe that stem cell therapy will reduce the need for organ and tissue transplants in the future, due to their ability to replace damaged or dead tissue.
"It's like a biological insurance plan or fixed deposit for the entire family," says 27-year-old Rosnyn Kapur, who saved cord stem cells after her son Veer was born three months ago. With a family history of heart disease, the Kapurs saw it as an investment with nothing to lose.
The couple then contacted LifeCell, one of the two major cord banks in India (the other is Reliance Life Science). "It wasn't a difficult decision because the process doesn't harm the child or the mother," says Kapur. A LifeCell representative met her gynaecologist to explain the procedure.
After the umbilical cord is clamped immediately after the baby is born, the physician draws the fluid from it and deposits it into a sterile kit that's rushed by a courier to the banking facility. There, it is tested for various markers and preserved. There is a down payment and annual installments until you choose to recall the banked cells.
A couple has legal rights over the cells till the child is 21, after which a new agreement is drafted. In the meantime, if a family member needs the cord cells, approval has to be given by the bank's board after which the cells are shipped directly to the hospital.
Cord cell banking is also being looked at as a viable option because taking these cells does not present the ethical dilemma as embryo cells, since the umbilical cord is discarded. "This could be the future of medicine; it guarantees genetically matched stem cells for the child or other family members," says Dr Geeta Vemuganti, who heads the stem cell research department at LV Prasad Institute, Hyderabad.
And though banking cord blood is expensive, couples still opt for it. "You take precautions with everything else in life," says Kapur. "If there's a one per cent chance it could save my family in the future, it's worth the money."
Reliance Life Sciences
Payment options: First time cost: Rs88,000, annual installment: Rs7,000
Operations: Main storage facility in Mumbai, but samples can be collected from other cities and shipped here within 24 hours.
Current bank: 4000 samples.
Additional features: Has two programmes -- ReliCord for sibling donors, and ReliCord-A for allogenic uses. Concentrates mainly on embryonic stem cell research.
LifeCell
Payment options: Enrolment fee: Rs5,000, collection and processing fee: Rs22,000, annual storage fee: Rs2,900.
Operations: In Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, and Kolkata.
Current bank: Capacity is 25,000 units, stored samples are 2,300.
Additional features: Focuses on harnessing stem cells. Has collaborated with Cryo Cells, the largest cord bank in the world.
