Gemabank celebrated its 5th anniversary!
On November 24, 2008, a press conference was held at the Renaissance Hotel on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of BSK Gemabank.
The guests and journalists invited to the event began to arrive by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In the cozy lobby of the hotel, next to the conference hall, they were met by the heroes of the occasion - the Director General of the Institute of Human Stem Cells (ISCH), Artur Alexandrovich Isaev and his deputy, director of Gemabank, Alexander Viktorovich Prikhodko. The founders of the well-known company received numerous congratulations, flowers, and wishes for further prosperity from the guests.
The press conference was opened by Sergey L. Kiselyov, head of the Laboratory of Cellular Technologies, who briefly told the guests about the program of the meeting, the order of scheduled speeches and answers to questions.
Artur Alexandrovich Isaev was the first to address the guests. The head of the HSCC spoke very vividly about the history of the creation of Gemabank, about what happened to the company for 5 years, about the difficulties and very significant successes of Gemabank, which over the years has turned into an international biotechnology company engaged not only in the storage of stem cells, but also scientific research in the field of cellular technologies, as well as the development of the latest genetically engineered drugs for the treatment of dangerous diseases. Artur Alexandrovich also shared with the audience the further grandiose and ambitious plans of ISKCH and Gemabank, expressing confidence that all the intended goals will certainly be achieved by them.
Isaev A.A.: "What is Gemabank today? Gemabank is already a brand, because people, when talking about a Stem Cell Bank, often call it simply – Gemabank. We currently occupy more than half of the market in our field – this is a serious result. To date, Gemabank has more than 5,000 thousand customers and those who have entrusted us with storing their children's cord blood can be sure of the complete safety of the stored samples. It was for this purpose that we made a serious effort and opened a new laboratory and storage facility in 2008. A serious Stem Cell Bank should have a backup storage, we now have it."
And then the director of Gemabank, Prikhodko A.V., told the guests about cord blood banking all over the world and in Russia.
"The main task is the demand for cord blood samples (PC). There are about 20,000 hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants per year in the world. Of these, 8000 in Europe account for allogeneic transplants, and 900 are HSC PC transplants. Is it a lot or a little? It's hard to say… It is important that this number is growing every year. And in Russia? In Russia, since 1997, only 12 HSC PC transplantations have been performed. And it's also good that we didn't stay at the level of 97. We have a lot of difficulties in carrying out transplants. First of all – obstacles of executive authorities, for example, Roszravnadzor. New medical technologies are being introduced very slowly and hard. But we don't give up..."
Sergey L. Kiselyov comments: "The progressive banking service is facing opposition from officials at all levels. We live in a state governed by the rule of law, which means that we also act in the legal field – we prove our rights in court. And, I must say, very successfully. Gemabank has not lost a single case yet, it has won all court cases. By the way, the actions of the expert commission of the Ministry of Health and Social Development, which conducted the examination of the Gemabank, and filed a lawsuit against the Gemabank, were declared illegal by the decision of the court itself. The court recognized that Gemabank has the right to do what it does."
Alexander Berdichevsky, from Russian Newsweek, asked the question: "And of those 12 transplantations made in Russia, were all successful?" A.V. Prikhodko answers: "7 transplantations were certainly successful. And one – using a sample PC from the Gemabank. It was a unique operation that saved the life of a child with a fatal diagnosis – neuroblastoma of the 4th degree. The operation was performed at the RONC im. Flea. Here's another very serious point for you – the importance of the place of banking. It is no coincidence that the Gemabank was created on the basis of the Russian Cancer Center, as they are engaged in stem cell transplants, possess proven techniques and technologies."
A.V. Prikhodko finished his speech with an appeal: "It is necessary to ensure that the preservation of stem cells becomes a state program!"
The head of the Gemabank laboratory, Ivan Viktorovich Potapov, in his speech told the guests about a completely new Gemabank service that will soon become available to the public – "Preservation of endotheliocytes and fibroblasts from the umbilical cord" and what the storage of designated cells will give customers. As it turned out a lot, because these cells can be used in the treatment of heart attack, stroke, for the introduction of the necessary genes into the body (fibroblasts), for the treatment of burns and scars, in cosmetology (endotheliocytes). This information aroused the interest of those present, because most of the journalists' questions concerned the practical application of preserved stem cells.
Sergey L. Kiselyov's report on the essence of scientific work carried out under his leadership in the Laboratory of Cellular Technologies (LCT) was met with a bang by journalists, because many of the materials presented by the professor were a real exclusive. It is not possible to tell in detail about what Sergey Lvovich shared with those present here and now. As they say, those who came were lucky, but in short, the professor talked about the fact that interest in stem cells is steadily growing, this can be seen from world-famous search engines, talked about Anti-Aging Medicine and the role of stem cells in it. It turns out that there are 12 lines of Embryonic Stem Cells in the LCT for research and practical use, and there are 13 in total in the Russian Federation. In 2008, together with the Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the "Bush" lines of human ESC H9, H14 were legally imported into the Russian Federation for "compatibility" with foreign research. More than a year has been spent on all licensing procedures. It was in the LCT together with the Russian Academy of Sciences that the technology of obtaining and preserving endotheliocytes from the umbilical cord was developed, from which scientists have already been able to form three-dimensional vascular-like structures. This technique is of great importance in the treatment of vascular diseases. Another promising discovery of LCT scientists, which was mentioned by Sergey Lvovich, concerned the fact that they managed to grow an eye rudiment from stem cells. And this means that if successful, in the future, with the help of stem cells, it will be possible to restore the damaged retina of the eye, restoring people's vision.
Tatiana Zimina from the magazine "Science and Life" asked where you can find out more about the scientific works of LCT. Kiselyov Sergey Lvovich replied: "Look at the journal Cell Transplantology and Tissue Engineering, which is published by the Institute of Human Stem Cells. This is a serious scientific publication, it publishes the results of research, both Russian and foreign experts in the field of cellular technologies," you can also read the publications in the journal Cell Cycle.
With that, to the applause of the participants, the press conference ended, and the satisfied guests and anniversaries went to the banquet hall for a festive buffet. The evening was certainly a success. See you soon.
Elena Romanova, Gemabank Press Center
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru
01.12.2008