The Chinese Government has given the green light to plans for the country’s first state-run stem cell bank. According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the stem cell bank will be set up in Tianjin, which is close to Beijing, and should be operational within eight years. Next door to the stem cell bank there will be a medical center dedicated to turning experimental stem cell therapies into practice. Once fully-running both facilities should be able to provide transplants for 200 patients a year. Xinhua also reported that 6,000 human tissue samples have already been sourced for the bank. When completed, it will be the largest stem cell bank in Asia.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 11th December 2002
