Hello Mr. XXXXXXX

Thanks for your query.

Here are the answers to your queries to the best of my knowledge.

Stem cells are the totipotent progenitor cells present in the human body capable of growth and differentiation; they can be made to survive and grow in culture for years together under ideal conditions. They are increasingly being used to treat many diseases in recent times, some of them which were hitherto considered incurable. The process of using these stem cells for management of diseases involves the stem cell regeneration, wherein stem cells are introduced into injured tissues where they grow and differentiate as healthy tissue and thus repair damaged tissue. This is known as stem cell therapy.

Going for stem cell collection is very much advisable and is increasingly being practiced now-a-days. This collection would be of much use in future needs by the same individual, siblings or related persons.

Collection is done by public banks and private banks. In public banks, the collected sample may be used by anyone in need while private collection is meant for personal uses only by the donating family. Though private banks are costlier, if you wish for personal use in future, it would be wise to choose one of them.

While you opt for any particular organization there are a few things to be kept in mind; the hospital where you are planning the delivery should have the bank attachment; the storage area should be secure from natural calamities, should have proper back up facilities like generator and monitoring systems to provide a continuous controlled environment and should have proper network and accessibility to ensure quick storage of the cord blood soon after collection.

If you have access to all the storage facilities in your area, I would suggest that you have a personal visit to each of them to see how they function as it is often difficult to compare without a proper patient feed back. Well, in my area we have Life Cell, the first stem cell bank in India, and so far no difficulties have been reported by any of our colleagues. The constant maintenance of the ideal low temperature, hygienic surroundings are the most important factors. Both Tata Medical Center and Apollo Hospitals have a very good infrastructure and you can choose any one of them.

As far as storage options, it would be better if you can prefer long term storage for better future uses if the facility can provide safe storage.

Hope I have answered your query. Please feel free to contact if you need further clarifications. I will be happy to help.

regards,
Shanti.V.

---