India Stem Cell "Therapy" Raises Questions

Biotech companies have been keen to capitalize on India's burgeoning birthrate and make it a factory for world stem cell research and therapy. In Chennai, the American company Life Cell has opened a branch and advertises with billboards across the city for women to cryogenically preserve their umbilical cords in case the child needs future treatment.

But the centers serve a dual purpose. Besides possibly benefiting the child, the blood enters into an international registry to match stem cells to patients all over the world and provide a resource for experimentation. Private clinics have begun to offer stem cell therapies that blur the line between treatment and clinical trials.

The national umbilical cord bank in Mumbai is reputed to be one of the largest in the world and is able to hold over 400,000 units of stem cell rich umbilical cord blood. It was created with a $20 million investment from the South Korean firm Histostem. The center has been in operation for almost a year and the government is only beginning to take steps to regulate the nascent industry.

(Originally posted by me on BodyHack)