Stem cell technique - is a tool of biotechnology and genetic engineering; which has generated tremendous excitement among medical and research communities, as well as among individuals and families who hope to benefit from this technology.
Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into almost any of the 216 different kinds of cells in the human body. All of our bodies contain stem cells; but for medical purposes we mainly consider stem cells from two sources: embryonic or non-embryonic. Both types of stem cells are undifferentiated and developmentally flexible.
Embryonic stem cells come from embryos; in order to collect these cells, the living human embryo must be destroyed. Non-embryonic stem cells also called "Adult Stem cells" come from a variety of sources, including skin cells, bone marrow, placenta, umbilical cord blood, brain cells and body fat; however, no human lives are destroyed in harvesting adult stem cells.
Adult stem cells especially from cord blood are abundantly available in all parts of Pakistan.
Cord blood, which is the remaining blood from your baby's umbilical cord and placenta after birth; is loaded with "stem cells". A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after birth. Although, stem cell research began as early as the 1950s, when scientists began experimenting with mice. Mouse embryonic stem cells were first isolated and successfully cultivated in 1981 by a group led by Martin Evans at the University of Cambridge. But in the 1970s medical researchers discovered that human umbilical cord blood contained the same kind of stem cells found in bone marrow.
In 1988, doctors transplanted human umbilical cord blood into a 5-year old boy suffering from Fanconi's anemia. Years after the transplant, the boy was seemed to be cured of the disease; based on this and other successful transplants, doctors and medical researchers began to collect, freeze and store cord blood units (CBUs) at cord banks throughout the world.
Today, there are approximately 35,000 CBUs collected and frozen for use world-wide, and approximately 800 unrelated donor and 200 related (sibling) donor cord blood transplants had been performed. Unfortunately; in Pakistan we have not able to set up a single cord blood storage unit for our future treatments and we are just throwing away this important natural gift.
It is worth knowing that in western countries the cost to store cord blood at commercial bank is very high, the initial cost ranges from $200 to $1,500, plus an annual storage fee of $50 to $100; however in Pakistan it could be much lower.
Adult stem cells have been successfully used for the treatment of diseases found in Pakistan like to treat heart diseases (patients suffering from heart failure will be able to "re-grow" muscle and blood vessels in their own failing organs) and similarly damages to liver due to either Hepatitis B or C - millions of people in Pakistan are the carrier of this disease, thalassemia, leukaemia, immune deficiency, different types of anemia, some blindness due to inheritance disorder so on.
A blood stem cell transplant. replaces the patient's diseased cells with healthy new stem cells. Currently there is a lack of voluntary Asian donors for blood, bone marrow and organ transplantation. An Asian register of voluntary donors would be helpful for many patients with cancer and genetic diseases.
It is worth knowing that bone marrow transplantation depends on the presence of stem cells; which naturally re-populate the white and red blood cells and blood platelets. This is particularly crucial after cancer chemotherapy.
Similarly, it is important to know that adult stem cells and mesenchymal cells are also used in regenerative medicine for bone, cartilage, muscle and cutaneous tissue regrowth.
This could be employed in diseases like brittle bone disease (Osteogenic imperfecta), non-healing compound bone fractures, Osteomyelitis and non-healing leg ulcers and wound healing.
First ever in Pakistan's health history on December 03, Dr Manzoor H Mangi from The Royal London Hospital, UK and Dr Rahim Bux Bhatti, amplified high yield universal stem cells and conducted clinical implantation of Universal stem cells, Osteogenic stem cells, Mesenchymal stem cells and Angiogenic stem cells at Taluka Hospital Gambat; District Khairpur Sindh.
Patient was suffering impaired lower leg mobility due to non-healing bones, non-healing soft-tissue, impaired vascularity and non-healing cutaneous tissue for 12 years.
It should be emphasised that all previous conventional treatments were ineffective in this patient. His only option was universal stem cell regenerative therapy and this was successful and he has achieved 99% healing with stem cell implantation and is in good health and fully mobile.
It is important to note that now Dr Mangi and his team are planning to use adult stem cells to treat heart and liver patients in Pakistan.
It is a fact that stem cells are master cells and have the ability to continually reproduce themselves while maintaining the capacity to give rise to other more specialised types of cells. They play a critical role in developing and maintaining the human body.
In recent years, many researchers have concluded that it was wrongly speculative to believe that embryonic stem cells are better than adult stem cells. That's why excitement over adult stem cell research has increased dramatically because of successes in treating patients with these cells.
Any new treatments require extensive development and testing before they can be used for humans. Stem cell therapies do raise several safety issues that must be considered and regulated by responsible bodies.
The government wishes to see responsible, ethical and high quality research using all sources of stem cells because this will offer the best chance of developing life saving treatments. So government of Pakistan must look into this most needed and emerging technology as millions of Pakistani are effected by different kind of liver, heart or blood related disease, so we need to set-up cord blood cell bank and there is need to motivate people to do investment.
For the sake of millions of suffering patients in Pakistan we must show enlightened; moderate attitude rather over stress and making excuses on different grounds for delaying this technology; ones this is the only way to move forward as this is the only cost effective and less risky technology as compare to organ transplantation and keep away from bio-conservative behaviours.