'Stem cell plays vital role in medical practice'

Speaking after inaugurating a CME programme on ‘stem cell’ organised by the department of physiology of Kasturba Medical College at the KMC Centre for Basic Sciences here on Saturday, Warrier said that three stem cell research centres are functioning under Manipal University at Mangalore, Manipal and Malaysia. He said that stem cell science has very much significance in the economic growth of a country. A total of about 300 billion dollar business is being carried out in the stem cell research and experiment field, he added.

KMC Associate Dean Dr M V Prabhu delivering the presidential address said that the level of consciousness in Americans for stem cell research was increased after ‘superman’ movie hero Christopher Reeve met with an accident and confined himself to wheelchair in 1994. Though the research on stem cell had suffered set back during Republican government in US, its prospect has increased after Democrats came to power, he added.  Later experts including Dr Raj Warrier, Dr B Ganaraja, Dr Krishna Prasa and Dr Ramdas Nayak delivered talks on various aspects related to stem cell in the scientific sessions.