Date:12/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/12/stories/2008071259240300.htm

Karnataka

Lab for stem cell research opened

Staff Correspondent

Stempeutics will focus on therapeutics and therapy in regenerative medicine

The new set-up to concentrate on research and development work
Stempeutics urged to focus on continuing medical education programme

START: T. Ramdas Pai, Chancellor of Manipal University, inaugurating the Stem Cell Lab on the university campus in Manipal on Friday. Pro-Chancellor H.S. Ballal (second from right) is seen. .

Manipal: Stempeutics, a leading stem cell company, launched its second state-of-the-art Stem Cell Lab on the Manipal University campus here on Friday. Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd. (SRPL) belongs to the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG). Backed by Rs. 50 crore-funding from MEMG, Stempeutics focusses on research, therapeutics and therapy in the field of regenerative medicine.

The Stem Cell Lab in Manipal will be used for advanced stem cell research in human embryonic stem cells in collaboration with the Manipal Assisted Reproduction Centre (MARC). It plans to establish a large-scale production unit for mesenchymal stem cells for clinical trials, using innovative up-scaling processes. It also plans to conduct pilot studies to address the needs of people with diseases such as dilated cardiomyopathy, end-stage liver disease and osteoarthritis.

Inaugurating the lab, Chancellor of Manipal University T. Ramdas Pai said that stem cell therapy was showing promising results for various diseases, and was currently being used where conventional methods could not cure. The first laboratory of Stempeutics was established in Bangalore in 2006.

“Keeping in mind the overall disease burden and potential for stem cell therapy globally, we are setting up our third lab at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

It will be operational in August this year. With the expertise of clinicians at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal and Mangalore, we stand to gain and realise the clinical value of stem cells,” Dr. Pai said.

Dr. Pai said that Stempeutics had filed for six patents in India and five internationally. The global market for stem cell therapy was expected to touch $20 billion by 2010, he said.

Pro-Chancellor of the university H.S. Ballal urged Stempeutics to focus on continuing medical education (CME) programmes on the latest developments in stem cell research. It should conduct hands-on short-term courses in regenerative medicine in collaboration with Manipal University, he said.

President of Stempeutics B.N. Manohar said that while the initial foray of the company was in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, it was investing heavily on its research and development to bring out innovative products, such as tailor-made progenitor cells in the near future, based on adult stem cells. “We are investing in our long-term goal of leveraging human embryonic stem cells for therapeutics purpose also,” he said.