Stem cells extracted from the fat of liposuction patients in the UAE could soon be stored so that they can be used in the future to fight life-threatening diseases.
Currently, stem cells can only be taken from the blood of the umbilical cord of a newborn baby or from the bone marrow of anyone at any age.
But one company is hoping to bring the technique of extracting the cells from excess fat to the Middle East.
A new product called Cryo-Lip was launched last week in Europe by Cryo-Save, which has a base in Dubai. The company is the third largest stem cell bank in the world. And the firm says that within six months the procedure could be available here in the UAE.
Henk Snyman, the general manager of the Cryo-Lip division, said research has found that human fat is a good source of stem cells.
"Fat is the richest single source of stem cells. It has great potential and through liposuction, we can store valuable cells for the patient that are extracted from their body," he said.
"There is potential for it in the Middle East as there are excellent doctors here, and people who are willing to pay for it, and with the rise of diabetes, there are also a lot of overweight people."
Sarah Al Hajali, the executive manager of Cryo-Save, which is based in Knowledge Village, added: "After liposuction, the fat taken out of the body is usually disposed of, but now the patient will have the option to store the stem cells from that fat should they want to."
Stem cells can be used to treat more than 80 diseases, including leukaemia, thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia and Hodgkin's disease.
Cryo-Save wants the procedure to be more common, and not just for people who choose to have liposuction.
"We think in the future people will undergo small fat biopsy procedures just to be able to store their stem cells," said Snyman.
Al Hajami added: "Awareness is very low in the GCC compared with Europe.
"In Dubai, the percentage of people storing stem cells is higher among expats than the local population. It is a big investment - in the UAE, the cost of extracting and storing stem cells from a newborn's umbilical cord for 20 years is dhs13,000 but people need more education.
The only way this can happen is through doctors."
The cost of collecting, transporting and testing stem cells from fat is 960 euros (dhs4,340). This includes storage for the first year, after which additional storage will be 100 euros (dhs450) a year.
If the cost of private storage is not feasible, there is the option of public storage.
However, the patient loses ownership of their sample, which is placed in an international database. Should they need it later in life, they can try and locate it, but there is always the chance it may have been used by someone else.
Some people may question the need to store a child's stem cells.
But, for those who have done it, the insurance far outweighs the cost.
Claire O'Kearney, who lives in Dubai, said: "We decided to store our baby's stem cells so if the need ever arose we could help not only our baby but potentially our whole family one day."
There has also been some controversy over whether it is religiously ethical.
Al Hajami said: "People have asked me where stem cell research fits with Islam.
Research was carried out by the Islamic Literature Council, who decreed it is permitted if it is carried out ethically, does not harm anyone and is used to better a person's life."
Tales of success
The first successful umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant took place in 1988.
The recipient was five-year-old Matthew Farrow, who was diagnosed with Fanconi's anaemia, a rare and deadly genetic form of anaemia, which can lead to bone-marrow failure or cancer. His parents were told their son had no chance of survival without the help of his newborn sister.
Farrow was taken from America to France, and underwent a transplant using the stem cells from his baby sister's umbilical cord. Twenty two years later, Matthew is alive and well.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are basic human cells that can form into many different types of cells, depending on what is required by the body, helping to repair damage.
The cells retain the ability to divide throughout life, and can take the place of cells that die or are lost.
Stem cells can recreate themselves as well as creating new tissues when they are divided. After fertilisation, stem cells play a crucial role in the development of the body.
However, after the body is fully developed, they do not disappear and some remain in our bodies as a 'reserve', helping in the recovery of damaged tissues.
mishaal@7days.ae
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