A newborn child is battling for her life against the ravages of a disease which has caused her to spend her young life within the confines of a medical hospital under constant supervision. In her tiny body, the accumulation of immature, functionless cells in the marrow and blood cause her to be unable to produce enough normal platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. These cellular components are vital for survival as a lack of normal white cells makes the body more prone to infections, while a shortage of platelets cause easy bruising and bleeding. Her pale complexion is not from the genetic inheritance from her parents, but from the anemia onset from a deficiency of red cells.

“It is cases like these that remind us of the importance of our service and keeps us going,” says Sharon Low, Managing Director of StemLife.

Established in 2001 between Sharon Low and two partners, Prof. Dr. Aw Tar Choon and Christina Lim, StemLife has come a long way from being the first stem cell bank and therapeutics company in Malaysia, to saving lives.

Ms. Sharon Low

“When we started, we initially believed that this (stem cell bank) would be an important service for any country to have. Malaysia is quite unique in its diversity, and we believed that its genetic blood disorders, like thalassemia and leukemia, could be prevented and treated through the service that we may offer.”

Stem cells are basic cells which can be found in all multi-cellular organisms. These cells have the capability of renewing through cell division and could also differentiate into the variety of specialized cell types which makes up the human body. There are three general types of human stem cells, mainly embryonic stem cells which are obtained from blastocysts, adult stem cells, which can be obtained from adult tissues, and also cord blood stem cells which can be found in the umbilical cord. StemLife currently offers storage options for both adult stem cells and cord blood cells.

StemLife has pioneered the industry from a nonexistent market at the time, and has flourished into a multi-million dollar market. They continue to innovate and drive the market further with cutting-edge technologies and techniques. StemLife currently has a 10,000 people clientele, and has worked with more than 500 medical doctors across the country. They have been actively promoting awareness since 2001 and since then, people are much more aware of their options.

“Before that, when I mentioned stem cells, people actually thought of mutants and sci-fi horror. However, today when we mention stem cells, they could actually ask us whether it was umbilical cord blood.” she laughs. “This shows us that we have been able to capture the imagination of the public and the various possibilities in treatment.”

StemLife’s edge over its competitors is apparent as its name implies its foresight in the industry. Unlike the conventional stem cell banks, StemLife aims at not only being a premier storage facility for stem cells, but also a facility which also focuses on treatment using stem cells for the betterment of public health. Not only do they extract stem cells from the umbilical cord, they also provide facilities which allows the extraction of adult stem cells. Conventional adult stem cell extraction would involve the extraction of the cells from the bone marrow, however, StemLife utilizes certain procedures which allow the adult stem cells to be extracted from the blood stream.

StemLife is currently looking into the possibilities of providing new frontier medical techniques. This includes treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, ischemic heart disease, neuropathy etc. They have also been looking into the prospects of stem cell treatments in sport treatments and tissue replacement for trauma.

Speaking on their aspirations, Sharon shared the common goal of StemLife, “Our dreams are set on to be able to spread the therapeutic capabilities in Malaysia and the region. We are unique in Southeast Asia, and we believe we can make a difference in people’s lives. Good service, deliver it well, and to help people. This is our main goal.”

The story has not ended for Little Angel Lai. Her newborn brother, Samuel was found to be a perfect match for her. Through the new procedure, StemLife extracted stem cells from her brother’s cord blood and successfully conducted the transplant. Today, she is a normal healthy girl and has celebrated her 3rd birthday on April the 6th.

StemLife is truly an example of a thriving bio-industry in Malaysia