Saudi Gazette Stem cell therapy is increasing in the Kingdom as it is helping patients revive from life-threatning diseases, however there are no stem cell banks in the nation like other advanced and developed countries. A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to continuously divide and differentiate into various other kinds of cells and tissues. Like a blank microchip that can ultimately be programmed to perform a specialized task, stem cells are undifferentiated, “blank” cells that do not yet have a specific physiological function. When the proper conditions occur in the body or in the laboratory, stem cells begin to develop into specialized tissues and organs. Medical researcher from the Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah, Dr. Osama Bin Obaid Dhafr calls on the medical fraternity in the Kingdom to establish banks for the storage and preservation of stem cells. “Since there are stem cell banks in many other countries throughout the world, it is of grave importance that we have our own stem cell bank and conduct further research in this realm. There is much promise that stem cell research can lead to life saving treatments and improve the healthcare of patients,” he said. Researchers are optimistic that one day stem cells can be programmed to repair damaged tissues and organs that have occurred in debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes. Dhafr explained that stem cells can be extracted from a number of sources like an aborted fetus, the umbilical cord, the placenta, adult bone marrow and other tissues. “Although stem cell research is still in its preliminary and experimental stages, in China stem cells are already being successfully used to treat diabetes, nervous system and digestive disorders, and injuries to the spinal cord. In fact, the therapy may be the solution to a number of chronic diseases that currently have no cure. It is rapidly advancing in medicine in many parts of the world, and Saudi Arabia should be one of them,” Dhafr told Al-Watan daily. He also said, “In developed nations such as the US, UK, Germany, and Switzerland, stem cells are extracted from the umbilical cord right after the birth of the infant and stored for long duration, up to 20 years. At present, there are no such banks in the Kingdom to treat diseases. However, I believe that our nation has skilled medical researchers, laboratory technicians and both, the human resources and technical capabilities will enable us to enter the extremely interesting field of stem cell research.” An excellent example of how stem cells can be used to improve the health care of patients suffering from chronic diseases came from two clinical trials simultaneously conducted at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Details of the study published in The Lancet on Feb. 14 of this year showed that scientists were able to help patients with hearts damaged by heart attack to re-grow healthy heart muscle and reduce scar tissue with an infusion of stem cells taken from the patients' own hearts. The medical team grew specialized stem cells from the patient's own heart tissue and injected them back into the patient's damaged heart. Imaging scans and other tests done after six months revealed that these patients had fewer scarring on the heart tissue, increased heart muscle strength, and improved cardiac function in comparison to control patients who did not receive the stem cell therapy. Dean of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Faculty, Dr. Shlomo Melmed, said, “In the past, all we could do was to try to minimize heart damage by promptly opening up an occluded artery. Now, this study shows there is a regenerative therapy that may actually reverse the damage caused by a heart attack.” __
