Families in the UAE have been asked to donate their baby's cord blood at birth, as part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of its life-saving potential.
Authorities are shining a light on the vital role of stem cells found in the umbilical cord. These cells can be used to treat a wide range of blood, immune and genetic disorders, including cancers and other conditions affecting children.
“One of the primary reasons for building a public cord blood bank is to provide well-matched treatment that is personalised between genetically similar individuals,” said Paul Downey, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Biobank. “That’s critically important to the success of any cord blood transplant.”
Until recently, the UAE did not have a public stem cell bank that families could access. Now, Abu Dhabi Biobank, which opened this year as a result of a collaboration between M42 and the Department of Health, has the capacity to store up to 100,000 cord blood samples.
Now the challenge is to educate families on the value of stem cells found in cord blood, said Mr Downey. The hope is the blood will be preserved for use by the family or donated for public research.
Getting the message across
One facet of the operation involves staff from the biobank at maternity clinics in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain to discuss options with expectant mothers.
“Our advocates and advisers are out there across leading hospitals and they’re talking to families, educating them,” he said. “Research suggests that 95 per cent of cord blood is usually discarded as medical waste, due to lack of awareness, despite the fact that it contains valuable stem cells that can be used to treat more than 80 diseases.”
Cord blood stem cells have regenerative capabilities that can help repair damaged cells and treat life-threatening conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anaemia and immune deficiencies.
“It is critically important to note that stem cells in cord blood have the power to regenerate within the body and help repair damaged cells,” Mr Downey said. “And it’s not just superficial conditions – it’s really very serious ones that are highly debilitating and even life-threatening. So it literally saves lives.”
He said nearly 80 medical disorders are already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment with cord blood-derived stem cells.
Public cord blood donation is free of charge. Parents also have options to preserve cord blood for their family's future and Abu Dhabi Biobank has also worked to reduce costs. Private banking services for a family’s own use begin at Dh7,500 for 30 years of storage.
“We’ve managed to keep our costs as reasonable as possible, and it is half the prevailing market rates,” said Mr Downey, who previously noted that such storage costs can typically range from Dh15,000 to Dh30,000.
“We appreciate that when you’re having a baby, there are lots of changes in your life. And as parents prepare for a new journey, we encourage that they opt for cord blood banking.
“It’s the only opportunity you have to collect the stem cells of the baby. Otherwise, they’re lost to clinical waste.”
The cord blood is collected immediately after delivery, with no harm to mother or child. “Yes, it’s collected immediately after the baby is born, while they’re cutting the cord, the midwife or nurse would assist,” he said. “Families will always have the choice to bank it privately to secure their family’s future or donate for research and development.”
Inside the Abu Dhabi Biobank centre, large cylindrical tanks cooled to -196°C with liquid nitrogen hold thousands of cord blood samples in long-term storage, which can remain safe for up to 30 years.
When needed, the samples are thawed under controlled conditions to preserve their effectiveness for transplant. The first transplant using publicly donated stem cells at the biobank is expected to take place later this year.
Abu Dhabi Biobank expects its first transplant using publicly donated stem cells to take place later this year. The transplant will happen “as soon as we get the right match”, according to Mr Downey. “This is an opportunity to save what would otherwise be lost,” he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20James%20Wan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jason%20Mamoa%2C%20Patrick%20Wilson%2C%20Amber%20Heard%2C%20Yahya%20Abdul-Mateen%20II%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
·
Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
·
What is a portfolio stress test?
·
What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
·
How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
·
Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
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Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
