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Bathinda AIIMS conducts preliminary test in stem cell therapy for heart aliments
The biochemistry department established the laboratory, where the researchers isolated and cultured stem cells from the umbilical cords of in-house patients.
Experts at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, have successfully conducted preliminary tests on stem cell therapy at the stem cell culture facility giving hope to the researchers that patients suffering from heart ailments may soon have a solution.
The biochemistry department established the laboratory, where the researchers isolated and cultured stem cells from the umbilical cords of in-house patients.
Experts at the AIIMS said that as per WHO, ischemic heart disease and stroke, a condition when the heart muscle does not receive enough blood and oxygen, are the world’s biggest killers, accounting for a combined approximately 17.4 million deaths.
They say stem cells have an inherent property to proliferate and differentiate into a variety of cells and thus have significance in cell-based therapy.
Stem cell therapy is highly effective and convenient instead of undergoing options like surgeries and organ transplantation as it provides minimal post-procedural recovery time, no communicable disease transmission, least side effects etc., say the medical experts at the central institute.
Dean Dr Akhilesh Pathak said on Sunday that after AIIMS, Delhi, the Bathinda institute is the only AIIMS to establish a sophisticated laboratory on stem cell therapy.
“It is a path-breaking milestone as a team of experts are advancing the research. Transplanting stem cells for organ failure and tissue injuries may thoroughly shift the paradigm of regenerative medicine but work by AIIMS researchers will need approval from the national agency,” said Pathak.
The project has been funded by the Union government’s department of science and technology under Core Research Grant (CRG) scheme.
According to Dr Sanjay Kumar, an associate professor in the biochemistry department and lead researcher in the project, the team has achieved standardisation of protocols for stem cell therapy to treat heart patients.
“Our laboratory has not only started stem cell isolation and cultured it but also successfully undergone pharmacological preconditioning, a clinical strategy that uses drugs to protect the heart from reperfusion where the restoration of blood flow to an organ or tissue after having been blocked. We are gearing up to send the protocol for the final approval from the central authorities to transplant the tissues cultured from stem cells,” he added.
Kumar said it may take one year before the technique is validated and good practices of the laboratory are approved.
Medical superintendent at AIIMS and head of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery Dr Rajiv Kumar said stem cell medicine is a complex science that needs deep research and proven results backed by technique validation before adoption.
“Researchers at our institute are making progress and we are eagerly awaiting outcomes of the project which will take time for validation by the competent authorities,” he added.
