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The L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad and the newly created National Brain Research Center (NBRC) in New Delhi will be among the beneficiaries of DBT funding, N K Vinayak, head of DBT's medical biotechnology division said.
The availability of stem cells from legally aborted foetuses and unused embryos from test-tube baby clinics will help speed up research in this area 'that has great potential in future', Vinayak said.
The Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines allow use of aborted foetuses and less than 14-day old embryos in medical research. But transplantation of stem cells into humans is permitted only after animal trials when other forms of treatment are not available.
Doctors in test-tube baby clinics create several embryos and unused embryos are flushed down the toilet.
Vinayak said these could be put to use because embryonic cells are a rich source of stem cells, which, under proper conditions, have the ability to differentiate into tissues of choice.
According to Vinayak, technology is now available to isolate, culture, and maintain stem cells and also to modify these cells into specialised cell lines for transplantation purposes.
"Industry is very much interested to collaborate in this work," Vinayak said.
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