Stem Cells Therapy in India

Retinal cell transplants are considered to be an attractive approach for treating blindness. Question is, where do you source the cells?  An international research team of scientists from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and Germany’s Eye Clinic Sulzbach is using a type of stem cell in the eye to grow the pigmented layer of retina that’s essential for vision. The approach is showing promise in monkeys. The findings suggest that these retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) stem cell-derived RPE, or hRPESC-RPE, may be a useful source for cell replacement therapies to treat RPE-related blindness caused by diseases such as macular degeneration, the researchers suggest. The results are published in the journal Stem Cell Reports. RPE is a layer of tissue that supports the neurosensory retina and is critical for vision. An estimated 200 million people live with diseases associated with RPE dysfunction, incl...

Most of the blood cancer patients require a blood stem cell transplant to survive, especially those who cannot be treated with chemotherapy. In India, we see almost a lakh new cases of blood disorders each year and India ranks third highest in reported cases of blood cancer, after the US and China. This growing burden is a serious concern for public health administrators in India and it is important to create awareness about the condition and treatment options available. What most people are unaware of is that blood cancer can be managed, and a patient can have a second chance at life with the treatment options available. Most of the patients require a blood stem cell transplant to survive, especially patients who cannot be treated with chemotherapy. Worldwide India has the highest ratio of searches on transplantations not resulting in a match as only 0.03 per cent of the Indian population has registered as potential blood stem cell donors, which is significantly lower th...