Region's first private cord blood stem cell bank opens in Dubai

Cord blood is what remains in the umbilical cord after the baby is born. Although once discarded as medical waste, cord blood is scientifically proven to be rich in stem cells. Stem cells have the ability to regenerate into other cell types, including those that carry oxygen, fight disease and curtail bleeding.

A subsidiary of Cryo-Save, the largest private stem cell bank in Europe, Cryo Save Arabia has been set up to target the Middle East Region.

In June, the first government stem cell centre was set up for the public in Al Wasl Hospital. For the first year, the centre has a storage capacity above 1,000 blood units.

In order to reduce the risk of losing the cells, half of the blood sample will be stored in Dubai while the other half will be stored in one of Cryo-Save's facilities in Europe.

"Though the facility will be more expensive than the government one, there is still need for more such facilities because Dubai is a hub and continues to grow," said the minister.

Dr. Marc Waeterschoot, CEO Cryo-Save, said: "Cryo-Save Arabia is proud to be the first private storage facility for cord blood stem cells in the region. Over 45,000 parents have used our facilities across the world. Cryo-Save meets the highest global benchmarks in the processing and storing of cord blood stem cells and we are delighted to bring the expertise to Dubai."

Dr. Abdulqader Al Khayat, Executive Director, DuBiotech said: "We are glad to welcome Cryo-Save Arabia to the DuBiotech community. Cryo-Save Arabia will help in providing treatment options for several previously-untreatable critical illnesses. We are seeking to attract many more cutting-edge biotechnology companies similar to Cryo Save to the region. One of our key objectives is to develop a regulatory framework that will give global companies the confidence and security necessary to locate in our cluster."

Treatments using cord blood stem cells have been rapidly developing in the past few years. Cord blood stem cells are either used for the donor baby (autologous transplantation), or for siblings, parents, grandparents, or cousins (allogenic transplantation). Medically accepted as an alternative to bone marrow, stem cells have been used to treat 80 conditions including cancer, blood disorders, and genetic diseases.

Cryo-Save Arabia will be located temporarily at the Dubai Media City Boutique Offices before moving to the Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park when the facility is ready by the end of 2007.