Refleksi : Wah, Qatar akan berkecimpun dalam penyelidikan stem-cell, bagaimana dengan NKRI? Harus tunggu keputusan MUI?
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=277608&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56 Stem cell bank at science and technology park soon Bonnie James Deputy News Editor The infinite possibilities of stem cell therapies are to be realised soon for the people of Qatar as Virgin Health Bank establishes a partnership with Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP). With the support of local institutes, Virgin Health Bank expects to start storing umbilical cord blood stem cell samples from Qatar within the next few months, it was announced yesterday."The Ministry of Health welcomes the initiative as it increases the range of medical options available to Qatar's population," Minister HE Dr Sheikha Ghalia bint Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani said. In Washington, US President Barack Obama signs today an executive order removing curbs, placed by his predecessor, on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and reversing a policy that critics say has hampered the fight into finding treatments for grave diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes. Virgin Health Bank, launched in the UK in 2007, will relocate its international headquarters to QSTP where it is to build a state-of-the-art processing and cryogenic storage (below -180ºC in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen) facility. Parents in Qatar will be able to have their new born babies' stem cells collected, processed and cryogenically stored once the proposed facility is commissioned. The stem cells, obtained from the blood remaining in the umbilical cord after birth, are already being used in treatments for 85 different medical conditions. Stem cells are also a major focus of medical research around the world and this is expected to add to the number of therapies available. Stem cells, which are very early cells, can develop into almost all other types of cell and tissue. They are found throughout the body, but especially in bone marrow, in the blood that is being circulated and in the umbilical cord. The stem cells found in cord blood are particularly versatile and because they are brand new are also most vital. They can help the body to heal and regenerate itself after injury or illness. Stem cells divide themselves many times to make new stem cells. They can also transform into specific cells needed by the body to heal itself. Stem cells for transplantation can come from oneself (autologous transplant) or, more commonly from a donor (allogeneic transplant). "Stem cells have already proven useful for fighting leukaemia, and are one of the most promising areas for future medical breakthroughs," HE Dr Sheikha Ghalia pointed out. Virgin Health Bank and Qatar's medical authorities are exploring the use of the umbilical cord-blood stem cell bank as part of a national public-health programme. Such a programme would create the world's first comprehensive source of stem cells for the indigenous Middle Eastern population and would for example, make it easier for clinicians to source a matched tissue typed stem cell unit when a transplant is needed. Umbilical cord-blood stem cell transplants are increasingly being used in preference to bone marrow for conditions such as leukaemia and thalassemia. Evidence shows that umbilical cord blood stem-cell transplants result in fewer complications, reduced occurrences of graft-versus-host syndrome, and importantly, they are more readily available. Because Virgin Health Bank's process collects stem cells from ordinary umbilical cords, ethical considerations related to other sources of stem cells are avoided. Its model has been deemed compliant with Shariah law by a Qatar-based Islamic scholar. Hamad Medical Corporation managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari welcomed Virgin Health Bank to Qatar by observing that it takes a major step towards increasing the range and quality of public-health services available in the country. Virgin Health Bank chief executive officer David Macauley expressed delight in the opportunity to use skills and technology of his establishment to help realise the current and future benefits of stem cell therapies for the people of Qatar. "It is a pleasure to be working in partnership with QSTP, the Qatar Foundation and Qatar's medical authorities to accomplish this goal," he stated. QSTP executive chairman Dr Tidu Maini described Virgin Health Bank's decision to move its global headquarters to Qatar as significant, and a testament to Qatar's ability to accelerate the world's best medical science. "The legacy of our partnership with Virgin will serve the health of Qatar's citizens for years to come," he added. Virgin Health Bank is a joint venture between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Excalibur (formerly Merlin Biosciences), the private equity house of Professor Sir Christopher Evans, one of Europe's leading biotechnology entrepreneurs.
