TRANSCELL BIOLIFE HAS BROUGHT A BREAKTHROUGH TRANSFORMATION IN THE ARENA OF BIOBANKING, EXTENDED APPLICATIONS
The contribution of Science and Technology in humans’ progression can’t be nullified. Awe-striking wonders and inventions are their incredible gifts. Transcell Biolife is a colossal organization that has brought a significant contribution to the field of Biotechnology and Life Sciences. Under the stewardship of Dr. S Dravida, the founder, and CEO of the company, Transcell Biolife has brought a dynamic revolution and is a game-changer in the arena thrusting on homegrown technologies applied.
TRANSCELL BIOLIFE: THE PET PROJECT OF TRANSCELL GROUP LED BY S DRAVIDA
S Dravida, Ph.D., is a scientist who became an ace entrepreneur after obtaining an enriched experience in the field. She is a technocrat successfully managing the teams, converting the evidence-based science to business opportunities with intent and passion to heal the suffering of humankind. It is her chronic optimism and 15 yrs.
of translational research and professional experience from reputed institutions of India, the US, and Canada, an unwavering drive to crack the mysteries of cancers and neurodegenerative diseases that have helped her to stand through the ups and lows of conducting business with purpose.
It is a long journey and commitment in sciences that she has embraced to reach clinics and patient population combining innovation and commerce to drive Transcell group. Outside her work, she likes to explore monasteries, trekking, write her heart out and enjoy reading science fiction.
L KRISHNA: LEAD, OPERATIONS
Leela MS (Ph.D.) is a medical microbiologist with less than 12 yrs. of experience in operations, especially in diagnostics and healthcare. He is a founding member of the Transcell group, who has established internal technical and operational processes, a framework supporting the body of operations connecting with field to deliver.
SOME VALUABLE INSIGHTS
Transcell Biolife is a next-generation biobank with established facilities to store donor’s and patient’s stem cells, stem cell acquired transcriptomics for the intended applications. The intended applications in Biolife’s language cover ICMR approved (Standard Care) stem cell treatments, for clinical trials, clinical application, personalized medicine, predictive medicine, drug dosing utilizing stored stem cells and the big data surrounding stem cells. Biolife offers ScellCare sourcing Umbilical cord, Bone marrow derivatives, and ToothScell sourcing Milk teeth pulp.
ScellCare targets families with pregnant women to source cord and related biological discards, families with blood cancers for bone marrow storage intended for tandem transplantation.
ToothScell targets families with kids in the age range from 5 to 11 to source about fall tooth to acquire genomics data on pulp and preserve progenitor cellular components for personalized medicine in the same family. 70 percent of their clients are from South India, 20 percent from Maharashtra and 10 percent from Northern states.
Through personal commitment, continuous engagement and transparency from the initial interaction, a knot of long-lasting faith is created between the customers and the company’s offerings. Transcell’s leadership team’s strength lies in meaningful research conversion to real-time applications. So, the group has built data around the applications of biobank samples from its affiliated entities by investing in R&D to realize the connect with bigger opportunities such as Personalized Medicine.
Personalized Medicine is beyond stem cell transplantations or cord blood transfusion when integrated with genomics data to manage diseases. So, predicting and managing the disease is the latest and futuristic need in human life while Biolife has adapted its offerings addressing the prediction and application through preserved biosamples to manage the disease when contracted. This is the mother of all revelations with Biolife’s ethical stand in this space going beyond any bio-insurance.
Biolife is a biobank for the intended applications with a vision to address both therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications from the repository. This is the foundation and has been the central dogma of operations that provided an edge over the peers while the company has set a distinguished mark in the domain till date.
DOMAIN OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Biolife is spun out of original research and development with its offerings for today in Biobanking space. Their story is beyond banking and propelling on the intended derived applications for which they had to establish several processes and protocols till productization.
Research and Development with focused delivery is the DNA, character of Transcell group since inception till date while the growth formula designed with Biolife is well built on the strengths revolving around science, hypothesis, performance, technical data, proven credibility, business appeal in the form of publications, patents to do with biobank applications.
On ‘not lagging in the field of technology’, Dr. S Dravida says, “It has been a serious commitment to practise the latest in the field through Biolife’s offerings from my side as the Founder of the group. I always had the advantage here as I belong to the scientific and technologists’ global community with my educational and experience background, complemented with a qualified team to integrate and practice with client/user on top of our minds.”
KNOWLEDGE AND HOLD ON TECHNOLOGY ARE THE SAVIORS
“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”~George S. Patton
Transcell Biolife underwent a series of hardships during the inception, but their Knowledge and Hold on Technology are the saviors and helped them to be the pioneers in undoing certain myths created in the market.
Challenges like making teams at scientific, operational and field level; getting support from funding agencies, medical fraternity, establishing name for them as they went through a hard way to get endorsements and buy from their clientele (and not by burning cash for advertising and marketing), field force quality, trust to sell offerings from Biolife, and establishing lab facilities to support their committed offerings.
“We believe that it is our conviction and commitment to Biolife’s offerings and the purpose of its very existence helping us to sail and continue to deliver quality to the domain.” ~ L Krishna
ACHIVEMENT SYMOBOLIZES PERSISTENT EFFORTS AND EXCELLENCE
They started as a small R&D unit to translate the group’s intellectual property into applications and became operational with storage (biobanking) products (ScellCare) in the market (Hyderabad) bringing revenues to the company in 2011. This was the group’s first milestone with commercial success followed by ScellCare’s acceptance in neighboring provinces in the South of India in the following years. In 2013, the company had an opportunity to launch a homegrown storage product named ToothScell with unique and superior features surrounding the offering.
ToothScell was successful with endorsements from practicing dentists, neurologists, endocrinologists foreseeing the derived applications in India. All along, Biolife was serving not just donor’s biosample storage requirement, but also facilitating stem cells in Standard Care for approved (regulatory) indications.
After attaining good traction and volumes in the repository in 2017, Biolife added certain features like stem cell phenotype, potency reporting, transcriptomics of stem cells (big data) based predictive health signature of the donor, strengthening the value proposition of the offerings maturing, connecting to Biolife’s committed nature of business.
FUTURE PROSPECTS TO THRIVE FOR
Biolife aims to become an epicenter biobank for the intended applications in Asia. It will practice organic growth strategy with its storage function in India while planning to partner with cross-functional cord blood banks in Asian countries. Biolife’s sample and data assets will find users and buyers in the respective application domains.
S Dravida closes on the statement by saying “Biolife today is well-positioned to dream and envision to become the largest Biobank on this planet for real-time applications facilitating next-generation medicine, standard care to all the eligible patients and for discovering transformative drugs”.
