Banking for Your Future Health

By Minderjeet Kaur; Nurris Ishak; Shamini Darshni

STEM cell storage is a fairly new concept for Malaysians but more people are now subscribing to it even as research continues on its potential benefits, write MINDERJEET KAUR, NURRIS ISHAK and SHAMINI DARSHNI.

FIVE years after it was introduced here, some 25,000 Malaysians have signed up to have their stem cells stored.

The technology, which initially met with resistance from the public, is gaining popularity as more people now hope research in stem cells will one day break new frontiers and cure them from illnesses or keep them young forever.

Parents are forking out about RM2,500 to have the stem cells of their newborns stored, while adults are paying RM15,000 onwards for the service.

The finance director of StemLife, which stores stem cells for both adults and babies, Michael Lim, said more parents were to storing their children’s stem cells.

“The parents hope that the stored stem cells will one day help their child to fight cancer or repair their organs without having to wait for donor organs,” he said.

Stem cell banking refers to the preservation of stem cells. In newborns, the stem cells are harvested from the umbilical cord blood. They are used to treat diseases such as cancer as these cells can replace damaged tissues.

Lim said most of their adult clients sought their services when they were diagnosed with certain illnesses such as cancer or diabetes.

“The stem cells are then extracted from their blood stream to help them in their treatment.”

He said the effects of using stem cells to fight cancer and diabetes had been documented, which is paving the way for its possible use in other treatments.

However, in August, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that there was no medical basis for keeping stem cells and advised pregnant women, who were often asked to preserve their child’s umbilical cords as a medical insurance for their child’s future, to get a second opinion.

But Lim feels that Malaysia will soon be at the forefront of stem cell therapy in Southeast Asia, with a growing number of doctors developing new methods in its application.

Neighbouring countries, such as Thailand and Singapore, are also recording rapid growth in the number of people storing their stem cells.

“South Korea is more advanced in stem cell application as they are looking into its potential use in cosmetics as well.

“They are very advanced as the research is supported by the government. Doctors and scientists in Thailand are studying the potential of stem cells in cardiac treatments,” said Lim.

“In terms of research, the north Asian countries are about 10 years ahead of us, while the United States is about 15 to 20 years ahead.”

Initially, Lim said, stem cells were used in the fight against cancer, but as time passed, its potential in curing wounds in diabetics was discovered.

“It was practically by accident.”

He said last year, the company had an 80-year-old diabetic grandmother who had a 7cm wound on her toe and doctors had to dress the wound and cut out the dead tissue.

“Such treatment is often painful and often makes the wound larger. Finally, the doctors recommended amputation.

“But she refused and opted for stem cell therapy, which was proposed by another doctor. The wound healed within six months,” Lim said.

Another stem cell bank, Cryo-Cord Sdn Bhd, has about 8,000 clients. Its managing director, James Then Khong Lek, said more parents, especially those who gave birth at private hospitals, were storing their child’s stem cells.

“At first, it was difficult to get even one person to sign up. But as the awareness grew, more and more parents came forward to save their child’s stem cells,” he said.

As far as stem cell therapy is concerned, scientists and doctors are exploring new frontiers.

Stem cells are being used to treat blood-related cancer such as leukaemia and lymphoma, as a booster for cancer treatment and in treating cartilage injuries.

“In the past, stem cells were collected from the bone marrow, which can be very painful. It is extracted from the hip bone, and the process requires at least 15 punctures on the left and the right,” Then said.

But now, stem cells are easily extracted by injecting a chemical, called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), which artificially produces stem cells in the blood stream of the patient.

The patient is injected daily for five days. The cells are then collected with the use of special machines.

(c) 2007 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.