Stem cell processing equipment donated to Bengaluru hospital
Under Project Hope, RC Bangalore Lakeside, RID 3190, donated equipment for stem cell harvesting and autologous stem cell transplantation. The ₹1 crore project was undertaken in collaboration with the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru and made possible with CSR funding from two corporates, Virtusa Corporation and Embitel Technologies.
The Kidwai Institute was previously outsourcing stem cell processing, “but now our club’s Project Hope has made the hospital self-sufficient. We have provided an apheresis machine and ultra-low temperature freezers to the hospital,” says club president Prasanna Marar.
Dr Vasundhara Kailasnath, a paediatric oncologist at the hospital, thanking the club, explains that stem cell transplantation is a vital mode of treatment for a variety of diseases, including cancer, blood and immune system disorders.
It is used to treat cancer patients who have received very high doses of chemotherapy. “Chemotherapy destroys not only cancer cells but also healthy cells, including blood-forming stem cells. Stem cell transplantation replenishes the body’s supply of healthy stem cells, allowing patients to recover from chemotherapy and receive further treatment,” adds Dr Vasundhara.
