3,000 women enrol for stem cell banking with LifeCell

Bangalore, Aug 22: LifeCell, pioneers in stem cell banking and research, has enrolled 3,000 expectant women for stem cell banking in just 20 months of operations, thereby creating a landmark in the stem cell industry.

Launched in November 2004, LifeCell is India's first private cord blood bank to bring the revolutionary medical breakthrough of umbilical cord stem cell banking to the country, the company said in a release here today.

The company had recorded maximum enrollment in New Delhi and Mumbai, followed by Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. LifeCell had 16 marketing and collection centres in the country and planned to expand to 24 cities by the year-end. LifeCell proposed to launch by next month an exclusive stem cell therapy centre in association with Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai for Haematological and Oncological ailments.

LifeCell Vice Chairman and CEO S Abhaya Kumar said ''Over 3,000 expectant parents from all corners of the country have enrolled with us and over 4,000 are in touch with us. Given the critical importance of this revolutionary therapy, LifeCell has taken a step to offer a truly world-class service and we would like to promote this concept in a very ethical and very principled way. The only stem cell banking company to be awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification, LifeCell is not only the most affordable in the world, but also very transparent in its operations.''

UNI