Stem cell research allows parents to store cord blood from the placenta of newborns which could be used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. Getty Images
Stem cell research allows parents to store cord blood from the placenta of newborns which could be used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. Getty Images
Stem cell research allows parents to store cord blood from the placenta of newborns which could be used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. Getty Images
Stem cell research allows parents to store cord blood from the placenta of newborns which could be used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. Getty Images

Stem cell therapies promise breakthrough in Dubai life sciences


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

A new stem cell research laboratory due to open in Dubai promises to accelerate the understanding of human genomics in the region and improve health outcomes from genetic diseases.

The Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory is due to open in May on The Palm Jumeirah’s Golden Mile, with laboratories and clean rooms purpose-built for stem cell isolation, culture and expansion to take the next step in preventive health care and research in Dubai.

As the UAE becomes a regional hub for life sciences, the first stem cell congress held in Dubai heard about the value of banking cord blood and placental tissue in preserving human health.

Stem cell research is an emerging area of healthcare, allowing parents to store cord blood from the placenta of newborns which could be used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders.

Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ were the scariest words ever said to me
Linda Konsinski

Although average stem cell therapy is expensive — typically costing from $5,000 to $50,000 — the results can be life saving.

“We will begin clinical trials at the lab once it opens in May to take stem cells from cord tissue to primarily research heart and lung diseases,” said Dr Fatma Alhashimi, director of the Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory.

Dr Fatma AlHashimi, director of Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory in Dubai, speaks at the first stem cell congress in Dubai. Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory
Dr Fatma AlHashimi, director of Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory in Dubai, speaks at the first stem cell congress in Dubai. Hortman Stem Cell Laboratory

“The challenges we are facing in the UAE is having enough GMP [good manufacturing practices] labs for this kind of research and clinical trials.

“It is expensive and not always cost-effective but it saves lives and that is where the value is.”

The centre will also research metabolic disorders, sickle cell anaemia and Thalassemia, an inherited blood condition that is one of the most common genetic disorders in the UAE.

Value of gene therapies

Longevity science and the value of gene therapies in treating long-term disease and illness were discussed by specialists at the congress, while patient case studies revealed the value of therapies.

Linda Konsinski, a mother of three from the US, was diagnosed with leukaemia 15 years ago, at age 38.

A cord blood transplant from a two-year-old boy saved her life after a blood test revealed a dangerously high white blood cell count that indicated Philadelphia Chromosome positive acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

“Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ were the scariest words ever said to me,” said Ms Konsinski.

“The day I heard them my life turned upside down.

“My doctors said I needed a bone-marrow transplant to survive long-term but neither of my sisters were a match so I had to search registries around the world.”

Unable to find a match, a cord blood transplant was considered instead.

Doctors at the City of Hope Medical Centre in California offered to help and a search began.

As cord blood was already in storage and any mismatches were more tolerated than bone marrow transplants, two potential donors were found.

Cord blood from a baby boy in New Jersey stored for 10 years and another from a young boy in Italy stored for six years were found to be suitable.

Ms Konsinski flew to California to begin the transplant process, staying for about 17 weeks for treatment and recovery.

“Each day got better and the cells began to graft,” she said.

“When I went home, it was the best day ever. I have been given more time with my family and been able to see so many things I thought I would never get to see.”

Diagnose early

Other developments discussed at the congress included gene replacement therapies for spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that affects about 1 in 10,000 newborns.

It is the second most common fatal autosomal recessive disorder after cystic fibrosis, with 60 per cent of those with Type 1 SMA experiencing rapid, irreversible motor neuron loss.

Gene therapy has helped reverse symptoms, allowing children to sit up, feed, swallow and walk with assistance.

“We know that children who are treated pre-symptomatically generally do better, so there is a need for neonatal screening,” said Dr Vivek Mundada, speaking at the congress as a consultant paediatric neurologist at the Medcare Women and Children Hospital, Dubai.

“Many countries are moving towards that, with Kuwait and Qatar having already started in the Middle East as have Belgium, Germany and Poland.

“If you treat and diagnose these children early, you can make a huge difference to their lives.”

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)

Results

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.

The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

While you're here
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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'Top Gun: Maverick'

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

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Updated: March 02, 2023, 5:27 AM`