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Reliance Life files provisional patent in stem cells area

Baburajan K

Reliance Life Sciences has filed a 'provisional patent' in the area of embryonic stem cells in the US patent office.

When contacted, the company's official spokesman confirmed the development but stressed that the filing is only for a 'provisional patent'. He also said the company's method of isolation of inner cell mass is unique and novel than what has been reported in the (technical) literature elsewhere.

The group will invest $25 million in the life sciences business, over a period of 2-3 years, the spokesperson said. In the second phase of the cell biology initiative, RLS will establish a regenerative medicine centre in Bombay.

The facility will have a dedicated clinical environment for development and application of cell transplants and research labs for additional disciplines such as pancreatic, hepatic and retinal stem cells.

The company is also planning to hire more professionals in its R&D team as part of expansion plan. The cell biology centre currently has 51 persons. Of these, 30 are technically qualified and include 20 doctorates and four MDs, the company said.

Plans are afoot to develop novel cures for diseases including diabetes and Parkinson's by harnessing the property of immortality of stem cells.

RLS is also setting up one of the largest cord blood repositories in the world as part of the cell biology centre. The centre will have a facility to make cultured skin, covering cultured epidermis, cultured dermis and composite skin. Cultured skin is used for treating burns and in cosmetology.

RLS plans to use cultured skin to address the problems of morbidity and mortality in burn patients. According to Manoj Mojamdar, research director for skin and tissue engineering, cultured skin will have a strong value proposition considering the ability to treat patients with high degree of burns, avoid hospital infection and reduce hospital stay.

Speaking to Business Standard, Firuza Parikh, director of RLS, said: "We have identified seven stem cells and are working on the development of four of them. It will take another six months to characterise the cells after which we will initiate the process of differentiation to address cell-based therapies for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This process will take another two to four years."

She said that while $25 million was already tied up for research and development, the organisation was not averse to the idea of collaboration with other organisations or federal US funding for the project.

The company has already spent $5 million on facilities required to develop seven stem cell lines which have been identified by the US government's National Institute of Health this week.

Parikh also pointed out that the organisation would be ready to collaborate with National Institute of Health, US biotechnology companies as well as Indian research institutions in this regard.

She identified heart, pancreas and the central nervous system as the key areas the company would focus its attention on.

As per some estimates, in the year 2025, India will have the largest number of diabetes, chronic heart diseases and stroke patients in the world.

Stem cell research would hold the key to replacing cells lost in such diseases and disabilities. The National Institute of Health had announced a list of organisations, which had developed colonies of human embryonic stem cells before August 9, 2001, the cut-off date set by US President George Bush to qualify for federal funds to be used in the research. Reliance Life Sciences and the National Centre for Biological Sciences are the two names representing India which have a total of 10 cell lines.

The embryonic stem cell research is based on donated embryos after completion of infertility treatment. Both frozen as well as fresh human embryos are being used to generate embryonic stem cell lines. The donation is based on informed consent and follows the existing guidelines in India and the US.

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