Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, has recently established a stem cell bank. Local residents can now store stem cells for their children.
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The Guiyang Stem Cell Bank in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province [Photo/eguizhou.gov.cn] |
The newly-established stem cell bank is located in the Guiyang Hi-Tech Zone, with a storage capacity of one million stem cells.
The stem cells within the Guiyang area can be put in storage in less than one hour, and stem cells outside Guiyang but within Guizhou province can be put in storage in less than six hours.
The bank in Guiyang is one of China's biggest stem cell banks with the most advanced stem cell storage equipment.
Talking about the stem cells, Hu Zhenbo, chief scientist of the Guiyang Stem Cell Bank, said: "Stem cells are self-renewing and effective in cell differentiation and proliferation in various kinds of cells. The storage stem cells can breed many new cells outside bodies through modern bioengineering technology. The new cells can be used in curing many diseases, so the stem cell is known as the 'omnipotent cell'."
Hematopoietic stem cells have received the most attention from people. They are mainly collected from the blood of a baby's umbilical cord.
Hu said: "A baby's umbilical cord is very rich in stem cells. Collecting stem cells right after a baby's birth and putting them in storage for a lifetime is a very wise choice. The hematopoietic stem cell can be used as medical treatment for many diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, cerebral palsy, senile dementia, nerve injury, diabetes and tumors."
The newly established stem cell bank gathers many top bioengineering scientists, including Hu Zhenbo, chief scientist; Li Tao, scholar of the University of Tokyo; Liu Yong, professor in tumor studies; and Kong Xiangfu, director of Hong Kong University's Institute of Molecular Biology.
The Guiyang cell bank, with an investment of 200 million yuan ($32.72 million), covers an area of 20,000 square meters and includes a GMP-standard lab with an area of 5,000 square meters.
The bank has the leading stem cell technology in the world. The treated stem cells can be stored for more than 22 years. In addition to advanced storage technology, the Guiyang cell bank also has the technology to provide biological cell immune treatment services for anti-tumor and anti-aging purposes.
