The Economics PhD Ji Xingwang became the nation’s first person who deposited her newborn baby girl’s umbilical cord blood into Tianjin Cord-Blood Stem Cells Bank, which is also dubbed as Life Bank, on April 18, 2001. The umbilical cord blood could not only be used to cure leukaemia but also other diseases.

Today, the Life Bank has received wider recognition in China. Tianjin Cord-Blood Stem Cells Bank has been one of the largest stem cell banks in the world. It has kept more than 80,000 samples of cord-blood stem cells and is capable of handling 100 samples of cord blood every day. The total storage has reached 300,000. It was also among the first batch of cord blood banks that have passed the evaluation of the Asian cord blood bank organization.

The bank firstly introduced in the storage method of cord blood for own use while invented a combined mode for public storage and personal storage. According to incomplete statistics, it has set up more than 70 branches and working stations around the country, where keeps more than 30,000 samples of new-born babies’ cord blood. They have accepted the inquiries of 615 patients without kin relationship with the donators from domestic organ transplantation organizations and Asian cord blood organization. With a success rate of 97 percent for the matching, the bank and its subsidiaries have saved dozens of patients.

Industrial insiders believe that, compared with other cord blood banks in the world, the Tianjin bank has been in a leading position in terms of the storage amount, handling capacity, cleanness, telecommunication and Internet, security and indoor environment control, which also sets an example and standards for domestic or even the global cord blood banks.

The large-scale cord blood bank has laid a sound foundation for the research and industrialization of stem cells in Tianjin. Currently one State-level research institute, Institute of Hematology under Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and three R&D companies have jointly developed a State-level R&D and transformation base for stem cells.

In addition, it has also set up a national key lab for hematology, national engineering and technology center for stem cells, national industrial base for stem cells products and national research center for cells products. All these institutes have made Tianjin a national leader in the research and industrialization of stem cells.

The national industrial base for stem cells products is located in Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area, which is mainly engaged in the storage and clinical application of cord-blood stem cells. The project passed the checks in May 2005. With a total investment of 118 million yuan, the base takes up a land area of 40,000 square meters and a construction area of 19,000 square meters. It is composed of Xiehe Stem Cells Gene Engineering Co., National Research Center on Engineering Technology of Stem Cells and a transplantation hospital.

In a populous country with 10 to 15 million newborn babies a year, the market for cord blood storage has an excellent prospect given the rising consuming capability and improving sense for health of Chinese citizens.

Tianjin 2008 International Stem Cell Forum was held in the Binhai New Area on October 16, 2008, attracting renowned experts in this area from the US, Canada, the UK and Japan. The successful holding of the big event is a shot in the arm for Tianjin and China at large in terms of stem cell technology research and application.