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Saneron plans stem cell centres in major cities

Staff Correspondent

Company to collaborate with Tzu Chi General Hospital

FRONTIERS IN SCIENCE: S. Abhaya Kumar (right), Chairman, Saneron India, with Prasad Mangipudi, Vice President-Marketing, LifeCell at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday. — Photo: Paul Noronha

MUMBAI: Saneron CCEL, stem cell research and therapy firm, on Thursday launched its Indian arm, Saneron India. The company will be based in Chennai and will establish specialised stem cell centres in major cities throughout India. S. Abhaya Kumar, who is CEO of LifeCell and co-Chairman of Saneron Asia, will be the Chairman of Saneron India. LifeCell has committed an investment of around Rs. 60 crore over the next 2-3 years on Stem Cell banking, research and therapy.

Addressing the media here, Mr. Kumar said, "this is part of LifeCell's mission and commitment to go beyond the storage of stem cell and bring world-class research, applications and therapy to the people of India.''

Saneron Asia and Saneron India will collaborate with Tzu Chi General Hospital in Taiwan for clinical trials. Saneron India would focus on trials for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and stroke patients, who will be treated in India initially and later on in Taiwan. The first trial for ALS is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential treatments to bring new effective therapies to the market.

The trials will begin early next year in India and Taiwan and Saneron India will begin accepting patients in mid-2006 at the Stem Cell Centre in Chennai and will work closely with LifeCell. Saneron India is also establishing a proprietary, allogenic bank of GMP manufactured Human Umblical Cord Blood (HUCB) stem cell suspensions designed for therapeutic applications for neurological and cardiac disorders. LifeCell has marketing and collection centres in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Kochi.

According to Mr. Kumar, `` LifeCell has been in operation for the last ten months. In the next 12-18 months.''

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