It's a kind of a bio-insurance," says Prasad Mangipudi, vice-president, marketing, LifeCell. Mangipudi is explaining why parents should opt to preserve blood from the umbilical cord at the time of a baby's birth.
The umblical cord, he explains, is potent in stem cells, with multiple regenerative capabilities. Once blood from the cord is collected, it can be stored at one of India's first few private cord blood banks, LifeCell, in Keelakotaiyur, near Chennai.
But why preserve umbilical cord stem cells? Because they are considered master cells capable of regenerating most damaged cells and tissues, can cure a host of life-threatening, blood-related diseases, and their usage is now being extended to help cure lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, stroke, even Alzheimer's.
Says Mangipudi, "Cord stem cells have 25 per cent higher chances of matching in the family of the donor, other than the baby donor itself, to be used in the case of serious diseases."
In comparison to adult bone marrow stem cells that require extensive matching, and embryo stem cells that are still under experimentation, umbilical cord stem cells are not contaminated and are easier to collect (though this must be done within 10 minutes of birth). They are ready-to-use, have low rates of rejection, and the tissue matching works with even 3-4 antigens rather than all six.
LifeCell, promoted by R Thyagarajan of the Sriram Group and S Abhaya Kumar of Shasun Drugs and Chemicals, has tied up with Cryo-Cell International, the world's biggest cord blood bank, for technological assistance and has the capacity to store 1 lakh (Rs 100,000)
LifeCell has 15 collection and marketing outlets in the country from where the collected blood is couriered to the stem cell bank in Chennai. After testing and harvesting, the cord blood is stored at --196 degree Celsius in liquid nitrogen, ready for later use.
Set up with an investment of Rs 14 crore (Rs 140 million), the cord blood bank is private for the time being (only the donor's family can use the cord stem cells). It plans to become a public bank in the next two months with samples collected across India.
Already, LifeCell has chalked out expansion plans of Rs 50-60 crore (Rs 500-600 million), spread over the next two years, to promote cord stem cell preservation in Asia. Expect a cord stem cell bank in Dubai next month, and another one in Kuala Lumpur by the year-end, along with 24 collection centers in India.
According to Mangipudi, corporates are slowly approaching LifeCell to include cord stem cell collection as an HR gesture. For its cord stem cell banking services, LifeCell charges an enrolment fee of Rs 5,000, a processing fee of Rs 22,000, and an annual storage fee of Rs 2,900.
Sums up Mangipudi somewhat profoundly, "Life insurance gives back a sum of money; preserved cord stem cells could increase your chances of life itself."
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