Does cord blood banking hold a future?
Bangalore: Chennai-based LifeCell International will offer in April banking of menstrual blood that has recently been shown to contain stem cells, the master cells used in regenerative medicine, potentially adding another dimension to the debate about such research. Potential benefits: Processed stem cells before storage. New banks now offer to extract and store stem cells from menstrual fluid, embryos, bone marrow, body fat or adipose tissue and baby teeth. Photograph courtesy Cryo-save IndiaWith exclusive licence for India from Florida-based Cryo-Cell International, which has developed the technology to harvest, process and store stem cells from menstrual fluid, LifeCell is currently field-testing the technology with Indian doctors. In culturally sensitive India, menstrual-fluid banking might prove a tough sell. “I know, it’s the craziest thing to do,” says Mayur Abhaya, executive director of LifeCell, which started private umbilical cord blood banking in India in 2004. But the poten
