Residents of Dubai will benefit from stem cell research and the opening of a state-of-the-art laboratory that serves to boost genetic understanding and impacts human health in the region. The new Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory located in Golden Mile, Palm Jumeirah, will open its doors to residents and researchers in May 2018. The facility will include purpose-built laboratories equipped with clean rooms that are vital to stem cell isolation, culture, and expansion. The research facility will focus on preventive healthcare and engagement in clinical trials of cord tissue and stem cells to alleviate heart and lung diseases that often lead to premature deaths.
The UAE aims to become a leading regional hub for life sciences and the Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory is an ambitious step towards that goal. The facility will carry out clinical development programs with patients who have metabolic disorders, sickle cell anaemia, Thalassemia, and immune deficiencies. Stem cell therapies can reduce the risk of genetic disorder by allowing the preservation of the cord blood of newborns, which can help parents avoid the physical and emotional upheaval of mass genetic screening later in life. Although stem cell treatments are known for being expensive, from $5,000 to $50,000, they can be lifesaving and critical for some patients.
Director of the Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory, Dr Fatma Alhashimi, said the UAE’s health sector faces challenges in developing laboratory techniques for genomic research and clinical trials. Along with research programs, the team will begin harvesting stem cells from cord tissues in order to conduct studies on genetics and the human genome. The lab is set to encourage regional partnerships between biomedical businesses and promote entrepreneurship in the life sciences sector in Dubai.
At the stem cell congress held in Dubai, health experts discussed longevity science and the significance of gene therapies in treating serious medical illnesses. During the congress, patient case studies revealed the value of therapies. Linda Konsinski, a mother of three from the United States, who was diagnosed with leukaemia 15 years ago, was one such case. Konsinski went through a successful cord blood transplant after a blood test showed a dangerous spike in her white blood count. Konsinski noted that the diagnosis of leukaemia was the “scariest” moment of her life and believes that stem cell procedures save lives that may otherwise be lost. With the opening of the laboratory, Dubai’s health sector is set on a new path to saving lives and promoting preventive healthcare.
عبدالرحمان زمین پیما
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آرمان جعفری
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