ACCPL lines up Asean spread plan, R&D facility in India on cards

Asia Cryo-Cell Pvt Ltd (ACCPL), which set up India's first cord blood stem bank-LifeCell, in collaboration with the US-based Cryo-Cell International (CCI), is planning to open its collection centres in Asean countries in the next one year.

The company is also planning to open its research and development (R&D) centre in India at a cost of Rs six crore. The expansion of its laboratory in Chennai is also on cards.

"We have collaborated with the Florida-based CCI, a pioneer in umbilical cord stem cell banking with experience of over 12 years, for providing us the technical expertise. We are planning to open our collection centres in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand among others," said S Abhaya Kumar, vice-chairman and chief executive officer, Asia Cryo-Cell Pvt Ltd.

The company already has 16,000 square feet world-class laboratory at Keelakotaiyur, in the suburbs of Chennai, which has a capacity to store over 25,000 samples of cord blood stem cells. It was set up at an investment of over Rs 15 crore. Apart from the existing facility, the company is planning to set up a research and development centre.

While speaking on revolution of cord blood banking in India, Kumar said, "After the penicillin discovery, if any medical discovery has created so much news, it is stem cell. We are fortunate to have a medical community which is ready to embrace new technology and is also keen to take this new technology to the people."

In India, the company after having collection centres in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ludhiana and Ahmedabad, is planning to open its base in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata among others.

"The process of cord stem cell banking is a completely safe procedure and is quite a simple one. The procedure does not involve either a newborn baby or the mother. As the umbilical cord blood must be harnessed within five to ten minutes after delivery, paramedics from LifeCell would be there to collect cord blood from the umbilical cord after it has been clamped after delivery," said Abhaya Kumar.

The collected samples will be processed and stem cells separated and preserved at LifeCell's facility at Keelakotaiyur.

LifeCell will guide the parents through the entire procedure and the stored stem cells will be available for use by the donor and the immediate family anytime in the future.

In India, illnesses most frequently treated with stem cells are leukaemia, thalassemia and anaemia, with a potential to cure more than 75 diseases.