Australia, April 7 – Australia’s first dedicated stem cell bank is set to open in July in Melbourne. It is expected to start providing stem cells for medical and research purposes by the end of the year.

It will create, source and store billions of adult stem cells for use throughout Australia and neighboring countries. It will be one of about six stem cell banks worldwide. It will not deal with embryonic stem cells, instead the bank will only carry adult tissue-derived stem cells. The bank will also be generating a new kind of cell called iPS, which can give rise to fetal or adult cell types.

The stem cell bank will be located at the Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery, close to St Vincent’s Hospital in Fitzroy. Heading the bank is scientist Jeremy Crook. He was recruited from Singapore where he headed the stem cell bank there for 18 months. Cook originally hails from Melbourne.

Source:
theage.com.au