Chennai: The country's first private cord blood banking company, Asia Cryo Cell Private Ltd, is setting up its base in Dubai, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Seychelles and Bangladesh. According to CEO V R Chandra Mouli, the Sri Lankan and Dubai centres will be operational by February 2007 and before FY 08 the centres in other countries will start functioning.

The company has got the marketing rights for the Asian region from its US-based technical collaborator Cryo Cell International.

"In the gulf cooperation countries (GCC) and Malaysia we will set up our own operations and in other markets we might go for franchisee model." According to him, the overseas companies will be targetting the expatriate Indians living there and later look at other communities.

In the domestic market Asia Cryo Cell is present in 26 centres and will be increasing the same by adding five more centres by March 2007. "Except for three all other centres are owned by the company. The total investment for expansion is around Rs2 crore," says Mouli.

"The total investment made by the company so far is about Rs30 crore towards infrastructure, market expansion and branding building," he adds.

Starting its operations a year ago, Asia Cryo Cell has now around 4,900 members. "The client base consists of working and self employed professionals, businesswomen and also women from industrial families. Of late more and more middle income parents are enrolling unlike in the past where more of upper income women enrolled themselves."

Explaining the choice of payment option that his clients opt for, Mouli adds, "Seventy per cent choose our standard payment plan; 25 per cent make a one-time payment and 5 per cent go in for the equated monthly installment plan."

The company adopts a combination of "pull and push" marketing strategy. "We educate the expectant parents and also the gynecologist community. We work closely with Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of India."

Speaking about the status of the haematology and oncology stem cell transplant centres and the neurological, cardiac and diabetes therapy centres at Sri Ramachandra Medical Hospital, Chennai, Mouli says, "The soft launch of exclusive stem cell therapy centre happened recently and the formal launch will be held this month. All the investments into the therapy centres and clinical trials are on course and will be operational between Q1 and Q2 of fiscal 2007-08."