Vietnam's first stem cell bank MekoStem opened in southern Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, offering services of cell collection, analysis and separation for medical treatment purposes, the local newspaper Young People reported Monday.
It has capacity of storing nearly 4,000 umbilical cord blood stem cells for scientific research and medical treatment, the report said.
Stem cells are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types.
The bank has the capital investment of nearly one million U.S. dollars from the Mekophar Pharmaceutical-Chemical Joint Stock Company and financial assistance of Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology.