Thailand: Using stem cells to treat heart failure

Heart failure patients are rushing to Thailand in hopes of keeping their lives thanks to an experimental stem cell technique .

Esteban Bonilla was not worried about being put into the operating room at a Bangkok hospital, although the operation was only a few minutes away.

Hope for many people

'' I don't really worry! I have been waiting to die in the last 5 years but I am hoping to live ". E. Bonilla, an American patient with heart failure at the age of 32, said.

Stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood

Bonilla's hope is a new therapy, involving injecting stem cells into the heart to regenerate heart muscle.

These stem cells are taken from the patient's own blood.

With this technique, the risk of elimination as well as moral issues surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells is excluded.

According to heart surgeon Kitipan V. Arom of Bangkok Heart Hospital, this technique can help people who have no chance of having a heart transplant or have the financial ability to go to the hospital regularly.

He has applied this technique to 27 patients since May 2005, including Bonilla. Each surgery lasts 2 hours.

After such an operation, George Efaw, 65, a pilot of a chemical strip for a plant in Wisconsin - now feels much better than before. He had to mortgage the house to pay $ 31,500 for surgery in Thailand.

However, technology is still not allowed in the US, where there are about 500,000 heart failure per year - the disease causes them to break their breath after performing normal activities, such as climbing stairs.

Thailand, the future center of stem cells

Theravitae, the company that developed the technology to separate stem cells from human blood, said the treatment cases were aimed at demonstrating successful techniques in humans.

In the short term, the technique does not interfere with arrhythmia, unlike therapy using stem cells derived from muscle or bone marrow.

Heart failure patient Bob Grinstead (right), in Roswell, Georgia felt very healthy after being treated with stem cells in Thailand.He was watching the television very happily with his wife Barbara

Even so, Dr. Kitipan said it is unclear how long this stem cell technique will be. It is possible that the patient will have a second surgery. The reason is that only 70 patients have been injected with stem cells so far and Thailand is the only place to test this technique.

In January 2006, Theravitae, along with Thai doctors, will begin clinical trials to treat peripheral vascular disease - a circulatory disease that can lead to amputation of arms and legs.

The technique will be applied to Parkinson's patients in mid-2006 and some forms of blindness in the first quarter of 2007. Finally, the technology will be used to treat emphysema, fractures, kidney failure and diabetes. .

Theravitae is estimated that by July 2006, 100 people will come to Thailand every month to receive stem cell treatment. Currently the number of patients has increased by 600%.

Minh Son (According to Reuters)