Milestone in Mixed stem cell transplant by Cordlife

Press Release (PressBurner) Jun 17, 2011 - Kolkata, West Bengal - Kolkata, June 17, 2011: April 3rd 2011 is etched as a remarkable date in Indian Medical history. CordLife carried out India’s first successful mixed stem cell transplant. Moinam a five year old boy who was suffering from E beta Thalassemia was saved by CordLife India by mixed stem cell transplant. All together a new way of treatment in which stem cells from the cord blood and bone marrow are used together to increase the efficiency of the therapy.

Dr. Ashish Mukherjee Director of the Netaji Subhash Cancer Research Institute counseled Moinam’s parents that cord blood stem cells of a sibling would be the best matching stem cells for treatment which can be collected at the time of birth. The Pal Family met Dr. Posanto Chowdhury Medical Director of CordLife India and decided to preserve the cord blood of their second child with CordLife India.

Stem cells from the cordblood of the second child were harvested, processed, tested and preserved under specified condition by CordLife. Dr. Prosanto Chowdhury, Medical Director of CordLife India said, "When stem cells are needed to treat a life-threatening disease, doctors can effectively predict transplant success by evaluating two factors – HLA compatibility and stem cell count. “ The count of cord blood stem cells was not enough for the recipient and depending only on the bone marrow stem cells of the donor could have lead to Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD) which can easily activate the defense mechanism of the body during the transfusion. Both Cord blood stem cells and bone marrow stem cells of the sister were used in the treatment. On April 3rd, Dr. Ashish Mukherjee along with Dr. Prosanto Chowdhury carried out mixed stem cell transplant at NCRI. He explained that stem cells from cord blood and bone marrow complemented each other and made Moinam’s stem transplant a big success. Tests have shown that Moinam’s blood group is changing from AB+ to B+ and his sister’s chromosomes have started appearing in his bone marrow and he is on a road to recovery.

“This successful transplant case would further enhance the confidence of the parents and stem cell therapy and cord blood banking would be looked up as a possible measure for treatment against such life threatening diseases” according to Meghnath Roy Chowdhury.

Manisha Pal Moinam’s mother said “Through this experience, we advise every would-be-parent to collect their baby’s cord blood at the time of delivery. Stem cells could be used to save a life. It not only helps for treatment thalassamia but also other life threatening diseases like leukemia and potentially cardiac, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury to name few.”

About Us:
CordLife India is the largest and most advanced cord blood facility in the country, with a storage capacity of up to 150,000 cord blood units, laboratory with full processing, testing and cryopreservation capabilities. Located in Kolkata, CordLife is the only such facility serving the Eastern part of India. Licensed by the Drug Controller General of India to collect cord blood units from all Indian states and cities.

Visit us: http://www.cordlifeindia.com

Contact Us:

Spokesperson: Dr. Prosanto Chowdhury
PAN INDIA,
Tel :+91 9830055287
Fax No. : 033 40080991
Mail ID: prosanto.<hidden email> at cordlife.com