Apollo Hospitals Educational and Research Foundation (AHERF), an autonomous organization spearheading the research activities of Apollo Hospitals Group, is all set to open its stem cell research facility in Hyderabad in a month, it is learnt. The facility will be located at the Apollo Health City in Hyderabad.

The AHERF has already entered into collaboration with the US-based StemCyte Inc., which has a cord-blood stem cell facility in Ahmedabad for the same. The StemCyte holds 51 per cent stake in the joint venture, while AHERF 49 per cent. The total initial investment involved in the project is $15 million.

In a telephonic conversation with Pharmabiz, Ranjit Roy Choudhary, chairman, AHERF, said, “Apollo is setting up a stem cell research facility in Hyderabad and we have already recruited a team for the same. The facility will supply stem cells on demand to Apollo group hospitals all over the country.”

The centre would use stem cells from bone marrow and cord blood of patients in research and treatment for diseases such as cardiovascular, cerebral palsy and limb ischemia. The objective was to provide scientific basis to therapy in the absence of published studies in clinical cell research.

At the same time the AHERF, which manages 200 clinical trials currently, has a preferred partner agreement with Quintiles India for clinical trial sites. The specific studies are either for registration of a new drug molecule or for marketing. About 50 per cent of the clinical trials are submitted either for US FDA or European Union registration. In the last one decade, AHERF has conducted over 350 global multi-centric phase II / III / IV clinical trials in the areas of oncology, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, pulmonology, vascular surgery, etc. Apollo has partnered Quintiles to start a phase I clinical trial unit at Apollo Health City, Hyderabad and is managed by Quintiles.