Has stem cell therapy been used to cure any diseases?
Yes. It has been used to treat a wide range of disorders including certain types of cancers including leukaemia, Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bone marrow failure syndrome, metabolic disorders, blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and osteopetrosis (when the bone becomes abnormally dense and hard and results in a number of other problems).
Researchers are also looking at the possibility of using stem cells from various sources other than cord blood for diseases like heart disease, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and diabetes. Their possible use in treating Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and muscle damage are also being researched.
Who can donate stem cells?
Normally, if the stem cells have been collected at birth, they are a 100% match for the child. If the cells are obtained from a sibling there are very high chances of a match. Sometimes it may even be a match for the parents. Cells obtained from family members have the highest chances of a match and post transplant survival.
A very interesting case of such a stem cell transfusion was reported recently in the national newspapers. A 5-year old boy suffering from thallasaemia was treated with mixed stem cells obtained from the cord blood and the bone marrow of his 2 year old sister and started showing positive results within 22 days. This was in spite of the fact that they had differences in their blood group. The parents had been advised to plan a second child, so that the cord blood could be collected and stem cells from the bone marrow could also be used.
The cord blood was collected, processed and stored by CordLife which is a Singapore based company and the transfusion was done in Calcutta at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Cancer Research Institute. Thallasaemia is a genetically acquired disease in which the body produces an abnormal kind of haemoglobin. With a transplant from a sibling, the chances of rejection are minimal and the young boy has a 90% chance of being cured. After the initial 6 months when he has to be careful, he can lead a completely normal life.
