Private Cord Blood Banks in India

INTERNET: babycell.in
PHONE: 1-800-209-0309 toll free
OFFICE: Mumbai, India
STORAGE: Pune, Maharashta, India

COMMENTS:
Babycell.in and Regrow.in (Regenerative Medical Services Pvt. Ltd.) are both based on technology transfer from the first family cord blood bank in South Korea, Sewon Cellontech, also known as BabyCell.

SERVICES & OPTIONS:

• Babycell India operates in these centres: Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, Nagpur & Aurangabad.
• Babycell offers a laboratory tour to enrolled clients.
  
• Babycell India collects by gravity drip into blood bags.  Collection may be before or after the delivery of the placenta.
  
• Babycell India contract includes shipping from anywhere in India.  The shipping container has gel packs to maintain temperature stability, which is recorded with a temperature logger.
  
• Shipping is provided by a sub-contract to a courier service with a division specializing in transport of biological samples.
  
• Babycell technicians process cord blood manually by sedimentation.
  
• Final storage is in blood bags with two compartments.  Each bag is held in a metal canister.
• Babycell storage freezer uses the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen.
• Discounts available for medical professionals.
• Clients are offered 3 pricing plans.
• Babycell India offers a Philanthropy Program: a payment of Rs 500,000 is made if the baby needs its own cord blood for a proven treatment, or a payment of Rs 250,000 is made if the parents or sibling require a transplant of the baby's cells.
• Babycell India also offers classes to expectant mothers in nutrition and exercise.
  
  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Babycell and Regenerative Medical Services Pvt. Ltd. are self-funded companies, only the technology transfer comes from the South Korean biotech company Sewon Cellontech (Babycell).

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INTERNET: www.cordlifeindia.com
PHONE: 91-33-2489565 (mobile 98301 66200) or info@cordlifeindia.com
OFFICE: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
STORAGE: Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

COMMENTS:
CordLife originated in Singapore and now operates the most extensive network of multi-national cord blood banks in Asia.

SERVICES & OPTIONS:

• CordLife India is the only bank in West Bengal licensed by the Ministry of Health (Drugs Controller of India - DCGI).
• CordLife India collects in blood bags.
• CordLife India contract does not include courier service.
  
• CordLife technicians will process cord blood manually:
  
• Final storage will be is in blood bags in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen.
• CordLife India processing fee includes first year storage.
• Payment plans available, discounts for pre-paid long-term storage.
  
• Discounts to clients who are medical professionals.
  
• CordLife is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Cord Blood Bank Consortium

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

See the description of CordLife in Singapore for the full company history.

CordLife Sciences (India) Private Limited was formed on 20 Jan 2006 as an equity partnership between the Singapore-based cord blood bank CordLife, and the Kolkata-based biotech company Strassenburg Pharmaceuticals.  Strassenburg Pharmaceuticals was established in 1987 and already has a GMP-compliant laboratory in Kolkata.  The Managing Director of Strassenburg Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Deepnath Roy Chowdhury, is also VP of the Indian Drug Manufacturer's Association for Eastern India.

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INTERNET: www.cryobanksindia.com
PHONE: 1-800-180-1217 or 1-8-00-102-2796 or cryo@cryobanksindia.com
HEADQUARTERS + STORAGE: Gurgaon (Haryana), India.

COMMENTS:
Cryobanks India has about 20 offices serving Pan India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Middle East.

SERVICES & OPTIONS:

• The laboratory operates continuously to process cord blood as it arrives.
  
• Cryobanks India is housed in a concrete building with continuous monitoring, electrical back-ups, sprinklers, and alarms.
• Licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Govt. of India (DCGI)
  
• Cryobanks India uses a closed-bag collection system where the anticoagulant is already in the bag, to minimize possible contamination.
• Courier service can be arranged through Cryobanks India for an extra fee.
• Laboratory technicians manually separated MonoNuclearCells using the chemical Hespan, following the procedure developed at the NY Blood Center.
• Final storage is in blood bags with portions of 20 and 5 ml, plus 3 integrally attached aliquots for testing.
  
• Flexible payment options are available.
  
• Cryobanks India claims their inventory, as of Nov 2008, is about 4000 collections.
  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Cryobanks International India is a joint venture between Cryobanks International USA and RJ Corp founded in 2006.  The RJ Corp is Rs. 3000 crore diversified conglomerate with interests in Beverages, Fast Foods, Dairy products, Retail, Real Estate, Housing, and Healthcare & Education, in India and overseas. Started in 1991, the RJ Corp is headed by Mr. R. K. Jaipuria. The Group's vision - to excel in everything we touch and handle - is visible in their many charitable and pioneering initiatives.

Cryobanks India is headed by cardiac surgeon Dr. Naresh Trehan and based in North India at Gurgaon Haryana.  Cryobanks India will have special focus on research of stem cell therapies as a potential treatment for cardiac diseases and diabetes.  The objective of Cryobanks India is to offer both family storage and public donation across India, covering all ethnicities in India.

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INTERNET: www.cryo-save.com/in
PHONE: +91 80 42430100 or 1800 1030100
OFFICE: Bangalore, India.
STORAGE:  India + The Netherlands

COMMENTS:

SERVICES & OPTIONS:

• Cryo-Save India has branch offices in 7 cities.
• Cryo-Save India is the only cord blood company in India which operates a fully automated laboratory processing system.  The benefits of this system are much lower chances of contamination during processing.
  
• Cryo-Save India is the youngest stem cell company in India to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification.
• The final storage of the stem cells is in two locatins: one in India and one in The Netherlands.
  
• The lining of the umbilical cord, called Wharton's Jelly, is also saved for future use.
  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Cryo-Save is a multi-national cord blood banking company with operations in 38 countries (Nov. 2009).  The headquarters and lab for Cryo-Save Europe are in Niel, Belgium, where they hold the largest cord blood inventory of any bank in Europe.  The Managing Director of Cryo-Save India is Chandra Mouli.  Cryo-Save India plans to introduce additional stem cell services, such as the storage of stem cells harvested from fatty tissue in adults.

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INTERNET: www.internationalstemcellservices.com
PHONE: +91-(80)-6565 2220 or Helpline +91-9916964460
OFFICE: Bangalore, India.
STORAGE:  India.

COMMENTS:
International Stem Cell Services Ltd. (ISSL) has been offering cord blood banking since 2003.  Their aim is to provide affordable adult stem cell treatment options for patients world-wide.

CORD BLOOD BANKING SERVICES:

• As of spring 2010, satellite offices are located in Delhi, Goa, Jabalpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Thanjavur
  
• Stem cells are processed in cGMP compliant laboratory conditions.
  
• Included in laboratory tests are CD34+ counts and CFU-GM viability assay, which typically are only performed by public cord blood banks.
  
• Discounts to clients who are medical professionals.

ADDITIONAL STEM CELL BANKING SERVICES:

• Stem cells from the tissue of the umbilical cord, called "Wharton's Jelly".  This structure is rich in mesenchymal stem cells which can differentiate into bone, muscles, and skin.
• Stem cells mobilized from peripheral blood.
  
• Stem cells from marrow.
• Stem cells aspirated from fat.
• ISSL offers stem cell expansion in their laboratory.
  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The founder Dr. S.G.A. Rao is the former head of the Dept. of Chemotherapy and Stem Cell Biology at the Cancer Research Institute, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.  He established India's first cord blood stem cell bank in 2003.  The website lists the board of directors and the Scientific Advisory Board.  ISSL cooperates with specialty hospitals to offer adults stem cell therapy with their own cells.  Currently they are participating in several clinical trials.

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INTERNET: www.lifecellinternational.com
PHONE: 800-425-5323
OFFICE: Chennai, India
STORAGE: Chennai, India

COMMENT:
LifeCell was the first private cord blood bank in India, which has a birth rate of 25 million per year, and the first to be accredited by AABB.

SERVICES & DISCOUNT OPTIONS: 

• Technologies licensed by Cryo-Cell International, operations begun in March 2005.
• LifeCell claims to have the largest network in India, with over 50 birth centers.
  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

LifeCell is owned by Asia Cryo-Cell Private Limited (ACCPL), a private company formed 6Oct2004.  The start-up funding was guaranteed by Abusha Investment & Management Services Private Limited. The CEO of the new company is also a large stakeholder in Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Limited, a $60 million Indian company that is the world’s largest manufacturer of ibuprofen.  LifeCell Board of Directors and Advisory Board are listed on-line.  Lifecell has invested Rs 15 crore to set up a 16,000-sq.ft laboratory at Keelakottiyur in the suburbs of Chennai.

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INTERNET: www.relbio.com; Email Research Leader Dr. Satish Desai
OFFICE: Sir H.N. Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India

COMMENT: Reliance offers both an Allogeneic Donor Program (public banking) and a Sibling Donor Programme (private banking). Website features a "virtual reality" tour of the lab using QuickTime software.
 
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INTERNET: www.stemone.in
PHONE: +9198600 76609
OFFICE: Pune, Maharashta, India
STORAGE: Pune, Maharashta, India

COMMENT:
StemOne is an Indian-owned cryogenic bank that, as of summer 2008, is the only company in India offering the entire spectrum of stem cell related services.

SERVICES & OPTIONS:

• StemOne is a multi-source stem cell cryopreservation facility.  They currently store umbilical cord blood stem cells, peripheral blood stem cells, and bone marrow stem cells.  In the pipeline are protocols to store stem cells from baby teeth and buccal mucosa (the lining of the mouth).
• StemOne works with Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM), the first Indo-Japanese venture in patient therapy.
  
• StemOne has been inspected and accorded a license by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for its cord blood bank facility.
• StemOne laboratory is staffed by technicians working 24/7.
• StemOne collection and final storage in blood bags, kept in vapour phase of liquid nitrogen.
  
• Cost includes shipping of the cord blood to the laboratory within 24 hours.
  
• First year storage included in processing fee.
• Payment plans available, discount for 20 years of pre-paid storage
• Discount for clients who are medical professionals.
  
• In case of need, there is no charge to ship the cord blood within Maharashta.
• StemOne is associated with chains of specialty hospitals and offers autologous stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy, liver cirrhosis, cardiac disorders, spinal cord injuries.
• As of summer 2008, StemOne claims an inventory of 1500 cord blood collections.
• StemOne is a member of the Asia Pacific Cord Blood Bank Consortium

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
StemOne Biologicals Private Limited was formerly known as Cord Life Biotech Pvt Ltd.  They incorporated on 17 June 2005 and started lab operations in April 2006.  The founding CEO and Managing Director is Mr. Chaitanya Purandare, a Medical Geneticist and entrepreneur who received his training in the UK.  Financial backing for the company comes from the Sydney Children's Hospital [Australia] and AusCord.  The bank was founded with an investment of Rs. 40 million in equity and Rs. 20 million in debt.  Cord Life Biotech had a strategic alliance with the bank ICICI.  Cord blood clients could obtain personal loans from ICICI to cover the cost of cord blood banking.  According to Stem Cells Research Forum of India (SCRFI), India's stem cell market is growing at a rate of 15% per annum and is estimated to hit US$ 540 Million by the year 2010.

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