RIYADH, 8 September 2003 — The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH) plans to establish a cold blood bank unit for supplying stem cells used in the treatment of leukemia, immune deficiency and other genetic disorders among Saudi patients. In the absence of such a facility, patients have to travel abroad and spend millions of riyals undergoing bone marrow transplants. The operation is not only expensive but also complicated and sometimes results in the patient’s death.
The proposed facility at KFSH, the only one in the Middle East, will be set up in collaboration with Ministry of Health hospitals.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Nuaim, chief operating officer at KFSH, told a press conference yesterday that the proposed cold blood bank would collect blood from women after they delivered in government maternity hospitals. The main source for the extraction of stem cells used is the placenta from the mother’s womb.
Dr. Hassan El-Solh, chairman of the department of pediatric hematology, said technology was now available to use placenta for extracting stem cells. In the past, the placenta has been discarded as waste. He added that the hospital has already treated seven Saudi patients and six were successful while the seventh experienced rejection of the stem cells by his system.
Dr. Mouhab Ayas, head of the pediatric section for stem cell transplants, said the cold blood bank would supply 5,000 stem cell units or 1,250 annually when it is functioning four years from now. This is considered enough to meet the needs of Saudi patients who now have to go abroad for the treatment.
According to Dr. Ali Al-Shanqeeti, oncologist at the KFSH, there are 30,000 deliveries in Riyadh every year. The placentas from the delivery rooms could be utilized for the supply of stem cells.
Asked about the cost of the stem cells unit, Dr. Ayas said it would be about SR 95,000 excluding the cost of transplanting. Even so, it will still be much cheaper than some SR1-2 million that now has to be spent on the treatment.
KFSH also anticipates the establishment of a National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Currently, an estimated 100 Saudi patients are in need of bone marrow transplants every year and they must seek treatment abroad.
The proposed program would be affiliated with NMDP of the US and the idea is to encourage people to donate bone marrow so that stem cells could be used for treating leukemia and congenital disorders. In the past, said Dr. El-Solh, patients suffering from blood cancer and congenital diseases received stem cells from their relatives.
The situation has now changed and 40 percent of Saudi patients are unable to find stem cells compatible with their own. This has resulted in seeking the cells from outside the Kingdom.
