“Latest Stem Cells News”

CordLife, Asia Pacific’s largest network of stem cell banks, on Wednesday launched the most advanced umbilical cord banking technology in the country. The technology has the ability to isolate two cell types that help in hastening the healing process of diabetic foot ulcers.

The patented technology allows access epithelial stem cells that can rejuvenate skin and mucus membranes for treating non-healing wounds as is seen in diabetic ulcer patients, said Steven Fang, group CEO, CordLife. With over 4 crore people in the country diagnosed with diabetes and 1 in every 6 estimated to have an ulcer during the lifetime, CordLife expects the new umbilical cord banking technology to help harvest the right and important stem cells that may prevent amputations, Fang said.

“Typically, diabteic ulcers are very difficult to heal. With epithelial stem cells, the ulcers can be healed within 45 days,” said Meghnath Roy Chowdhury, MD, CordLife Sciences India. The company has shelled out Rs 10 crore to put in place its first cord blood storage facility near Kolkata.

from http://www.mydigitalfc.com/good-living/new-stem-cell-banking-technology-cordlife-735

CordLife, one of the leading stem cell banking groups in the Asia Pacific region, is targeting expansion of its network in India and China, considering the huge birth rate in these two Asian nations, a top official said Wednesday.
“We’re looking at India and China as two big markets in terms of our stem cell business in the Asia Pacific region – keeping in mind the huge birth rate in these two countries,” CordLife group chief executive Steven Fang told IANS Wednesday on the sidelines of a press conference here.

“We’re presently in talks with a large number of big government and private hospitals across India to tie up with them for stem cell therapy treatment.”
He said the company was growing at a rate of 70 percent in terms of its client base, and also registered 30 percent growth in its net profit last year.

Stem-cell firm BioTime said this week that it will open a subsidiary in China called BioTime Asia to expand its stem cell therapeutics and research tools to the Asian market.

BioTime Asia will be based at the Nanshan Memorial Medical Institute, or NSMMI, and will clinically develop and market therapeutic stem cell products in China and market stem cell research products in China and other Asian countries (…)

BioTime and its US research tools subsidiary, Embryome Sciences, will license the rights to certain stem cell technology to BioTime Asia, and will sell the Chinese subsidiary stem cell products for therapeutic use and for resale as research products, BioTime said. Under the arrangement, BioTime Asia will license back to BioTime any new technology it might develop or acquire for use outside of China (…)

from http://www.genomeweb.com/print/924594

China will build Asia’s largest stem cell technology laboratory in its push to increase its stake in the competitive sector.
Health Minister Chen Zhu said there was huge potential for China to grow in this new field, it was reported.

Stem cell technology uses master cells in the body to create new cells. Medical researchers hope these new cells can be used to fight diseases and heal injuries.
“The stem cell and regenerative medicine sector is one of China’s new high-tech biological sectors with the strongest development potential,” Chen said during the launch of the project in eastern Jiangsu province on Tuesday, according to Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao.

China will build Asia’s biggest base to develop uses for stem cell medical technology, which the health minister described as having huge potential for development, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Stem cell techniques use the body’s master cells to create new cells that medical researchers hope can be used to fight diseases and heal injuries. Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu said his country could become a leader in finding uses for the technology.

“The stem cell and regenerative medicine sector is one of China’s new high-tech biological sectors with the strongest development potential,” Chen said in a message marking the launch of the project in eastern Jiangsu province on Tuesday, according to the the Ta Kung Pao, a mainland-run Hong Kong paper.

“Accelerating the development of this sector will be important for lifting people’s standard of living and health.”

On February 15 the first bank to preserve and study stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord and umbilical cord membrane was opened. The bank, which received investments from Mekophar (pharmaceutical company) and the Minister of Science and Technology, will use technology developed by CellResearch Corporation in Singapore.
The bank will perform research to improve the quality of the preservation of stem cells and tests for practical applications to treat incurable diseases.