Latest Qatar News
First National Cord Blood Bank in Qatar
The Virgin Health Bank (VHB) under the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) has become the first national cord blood bank in the world, with its launch in Qatar.
The inaugural board meeting of this newly formed partnership between VHB and QSTP was held in Doha yesterday. The new company will collect, process, and store stem cells from the blood in the umbilical cord of newborn babies.
The medical authorities in Qatar are already exploring the use of stem cells from umbilical cord blood, as a part of national public health programme.
VHB-QSTP, together with local institutions, plans to create the first comprehensive source of stem cells, which could be used to treat the indigenous Middle Eastern population. The venture will soon commence a pilot programme for processing and storing the collected cord blood stem cells in Qatar.
Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantations are highly being used in preference to bone marrow for conditions such as Leukaemia and Thalassemia. Evidences suggest that umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants result in fewer complications, reduced occurrence of the graft-versus-host syndrome, and particularly, the cells are now more readily available.
The Managing Director of Hamad Medical Corporation, Hanan al Kuwari, says that this partnership with VHB will bring in considerable advantages to Qatar’s citizens both now and in the future.
Posted on 21/3/2009
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