Umbilical stem cell storage could provide the answer to a significant number of diseases, according to a session hosted at Arab Health in Dubai by Dr. Charbel Khalil, Cellular Therapy Director at the Reviva stem cell platform for research and application center and the Middle East Institute of Health University Hospital (MEIH). Khalil shone the spotlight on umbilical stem cells and the crucial role they are playing in disease treatment around the world.
This includes, “Cancer, blood disorders, immune disorders, and metabolic diseases,” said Khalil, who added, “One of the most interesting aspects of stem cells is that they rejuvenate. We have stem cells everywhere in the body, in every tissue.”
“The most effective way to capture stem cells is from the umbilical cords of newborn babies,” he noted.
He elucidated, “Treating patients with bone marrow can be a very complex procedure. Only 0.1 percent of stem cells can be found in the bone marrow, and for this process, we have to mobilize the stem cells and stimulate them to go into the peripheral blood. This is followed by cryopreservation and high-dose chemotherapy, after which the cells are thawed and infused. Capturing stem cells at birth through the umbilical cord is providing a highly effective alternative to this.”
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Umbilical cord blood is a viable source of stem cells, which when combined can develop into all types of blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, and make and repair skeletal tissue.
Once captured, the current evidence shows that umbilical stem cells can be used for up to a minimum of 25 years, but this may prove to be longer. If needed in the future, these stem cells can be used by the original donor, their relatives, or even the wider community.
Through cord blood networking, more than 43,000 transplants globally have given patients a second chance at life. Clinical trials are currently exploring the use of umbilical cord stem cells for the treatment of 120 diseases, and there have been some exciting developments recently in their use for neurological diseases, eye conditions, and infertility.
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