Thailand: Experimental treatment of heart disease with stem cells

Thailand will conduct a large test of the effectiveness and safety of stem cell technology in heart disease. The trial will be conducted on 40 heart patients in the next two months .

Measure the effectiveness of stem cell therapy

This is the first official trial in Thailand about the effectiveness of human stem cell therapy. The program was conducted by the Medical Sciences (Mahidol University, Thailand) and the Thai Heart Institute.

Dr. Pongpan Vongmanee, Deputy Dean of the Department of Medical Sciences, said there have been many reports on stem cell research in the world. But in Thailand, there has been no official report on the possible consequences of stem cell technology. Therefore, the test results will be specific guidelines for drawing up an effective plan for stem cell development in this country.

Stem cell diagrams can turn into different types of cells in the body (Photo: republicanvoices.org)

In this test, doctors will take about 100 to 200 cc of blood from 20 patients to carry out the process of taking stem cells. The stem cells obtained will be implanted in the patient's heart to treat their own heart disease. Meanwhile, the remaining 20 patients will be treated according to the conventional method. The treatment results of two groups of patients will be compared to measure the effectiveness of stem cell treatment.

Dr. Pongpan said the team will take at least a year to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of stem cell treatment because they need to monitor the status of patients undergoing testing. If the trial proceeds smoothly, Thailand will boost research into stem cell technology.

Pongpan believes that in the next five years, Thailand will make much progress in stem cell healing. Stem cells can be used to treat diseases such as diabetes and brain disorders. Currently, the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Mahidol University is building a 60 million baht stem cell laboratory.

Provisions on treatment with stem cells

Although the Thai government has begun a formal study of stem cell treatment, private hospitals in the country have provided this type of treatment without waiting for the test results.

Currently, the Thai Medical Council, which chairs the ethical committee for stem cell development, has the right to adjudicate stem cell treatment in Thailand. However, the Council does not have the right to ban healing by stem cells until the ethics committee receives a claim for this type of treatment. So far, this committee has not received any lawsuits.

Pakdee Pothisiri, Secretary General of the Thai Food and Drug Administration, said the department is drafting a law to control the import and export of stem cells to ensure safety.

Pakdee said that when drafting regulations on stem cell treatment is completed in June, the people will be consulted because this is a relatively new treatment field in Thailand.

Minh Thuong