India’s first govt-owned stem cell preservation unveiled in city

The country’s first state government-owned stem cell preservation centre started its formal functioning at the School of Tropical Medicine in Kolkata from Friday. In a press release issued by the state government, the umbilical cord of newborns containing stem cells can be stored in the bank. The preserved stem cells can be used in the future for the treatment of an adult in case of congenital and genetic problems and will also help to check various complicated diseases which could not be cured by an ordinary treatment.

The cord blood bank functions as per the rules and guidelines of the Centre and the state government. With its addition to state’s health infrastructure, it will be beneficial for people and according to the doctors the umbilical cord is rich in life-saving and can only be collected during birth and can be preserved for a lifetime. These stem cells have the potential to treat over 80 medical conditions including blood disorders, immune diseases with research on going to bring about additional benefits of these cells.

It may be mentioned that it was the initiative of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who wanted to transform School of Tropical of Medicine into a stem cell preservation system, opening a new avenue of health care system in the state.