Emirates successfully conducts its first bone marrow transplant

Historic day in the United Arab Emirates. The Gulf country has successfully performed its first marrow transplant. This was announced by the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre (ADSCC), where the bone marrow transplant programme, called AD-BMT, was launched on Monday to treat patients with haematological and oncological diseases. 

This first marrow transplant has been performed on a patient with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. Cancer is the third leading cause of death in the UAE, but even so, citizens of the Gulf nation have been forced in recent years to travel abroad for cell therapy or regenerative medicine, according to the WAM news agency. 

This transplant - made possible by the close collaboration between the ADSCC and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City - represents a "breakthrough" for those suffering from the disease in the Emirates, as they now have the opportunity to find treatment in their own country. This type of therapy is one of the most widely used in treating the disease. 

The procedure developed in the Emirates involved collecting stem cells from the patient's blood, which was then subjected to high-dose chemotherapy to eradicate all the cancer cells and most of the bone marrow. The stem cells were then re-circulated into the bloodstream, where they restored the destroyed cells and, within two weeks, began producing healthy, non-malignant blood cells, according to the WAM agency.

"The patient is basically without an immune system while waiting for the transfused cells to take effect and must remain isolated under the strictest infection control guidelines," explained Dr. Yendry Ventura, ADSCC's chief executive officer and director of the BMT program. "Since we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the best possible outcome for all involved," he told WAM. 

This breakthrough comes after the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center announced the positive results of its treatment trial to treat COVID-19 patients. These successes demonstrate -- as the Gulf country has noted -- the ADSCC's "continued commitment to providing cutting-edge" and evidence-based services to the UAE market, including a range of stem cell therapies. Its goal is to make BMT treatment available to all patients in the UAE who require it.

"We are proud to be part of a first for the country and to make this life-saving treatment available and accessible to those who need it here," said Dr. Fatima Alkaabi, Executive Director of BMT. The Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center was created to meet the growing national and regional demand for advanced medical services and innovative treatments in the Gulf country.

While celebrating the success of this first transplant, the Emirates is committed to ensuring that Abu Dhabi's bone marrow transplant program "meets the highest standards of quality and patient satisfaction at all stages of the process, including treatment, aftercare and follow-up between clinical staff, patients and their families.