Stem cell therapy: Bringing hope to the critically ill

The miser-able have no other medicine; But only hope,” says the character Claudio who is sentenced for execution in the Shakespeare play titled Measure for Measure. The statement is an acutely pertinent reflection of the mindset of those who seek relief from severely debilitating or terminal illnesses. In complicated cases where new methods show promise of bringing cure, patients and their families find renewed hope. This is the reason for the growing interest in the subject of stem cell therapy; and also why the critically ill can fall victim to spurious treatments.

Stem cell therapy falls under the field of regenerative medicine. The basic premise behind this form of treatment is that stem cells can repair, restore, and regenerate damaged or diseased cells, tissues, and organs. Since stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the capability to replicate and differentiate to become specialized cell types (such as skin, muscle, blood, brain, and nerve cells), they have the ability to replace damaged cells. What’s more, adding new genes to stem cells also enables them to treat disease. To illustrate the current use of stem cell therapy, hematopoietic (blood-cell producing) transplants are done where cells from the bone marrow are used to restore the blood and immune system of patients with leukemia, lymphoma or other blood disorders.

But for cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and countless other diseases, is stem cell therapy an effective treatment modality? The First International Symposium on Stem Cell Therapy held recently at the St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City, was a forum for the exchange of new ideas and developments in the field.

“We know that stem cell therapy is going to be one of the most important tools of treatment in this century,” says Dr. Joven Cuanang, medical director and senior vice president for medical affairs of St. Luke’s Medical Center. “Advances, for sure, have been made. But much is still to be done.” 

Dr. Cuanang explains that the symposium was organized “to inform and serve as a guide for patients and doctors who are fascinated by (stem cell therapy’s) promise.” And thus, world- renowned experts were invited to speak because, “The value of keeping updated in the field will allow a comprehensive approach to stem cell, gene therapy and other therapies. It will enable us to know which direction we are going to take.”

So, what is the bottom line on stem cell therapy? The consensus is that at best, it is in the clinical trial stage. “We have reached a stage of knowledge where we need to go up to phase 3 clinical trials,” shares Paola Ricciardi-Castagnoli PhD, scientific director of A*Star Center of Immunology in Singapore and chair of Immunology and General Pathology at University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.

 Dr Keith Webster agrees. “It will eventually translate to global treatments,” says the professor at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, whose research focuses on stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease, aging, obesity, diet research and Type 2 diabetes. However he warns, “The International Society for Stem Cell Research is concerned about the rise in the number of clinics across the world offering stem cell treatment without proven efficacy. The dark side of stem cell therapy is the exploitation of patients.” To avoid this, Webster advises patients to look at factors such as history or evidence of treatment; accreditation of the clinic and names of physicians and clinics that will validate treatment. “You don’t want to see patient testimonials,” he says. “This, especially in the case of neurological conditions where there is a placebo effect.”

Despite its being in the clinical trial phase, Dr. Dan Kaufman of the University of Minnesota, and associate director of the Stem Cell Institute, advocates the use of stem cell therapy. “My view is that we would be negligent not to use the treatments out there,” he says. Still, stem cell treatment is prohibitive and Dr. Webster estimates that it can range from US$30,000-120,000 if the patient pays for the procedure. For those fortunate enough to be part of clinical trials, it can be free.

In the Philippines, stem cells have been used in treating patients who have been blinded because of surface damage caused by a chemical burn to the eye. A transplant team that successfully resurfaced the left eye of the 52-year-old man in 2006 was headed by Dr. Jessica Abano. At St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City, Dr. Francisco Lopez, head of the Stem Cell Unit, spearheaded the bone marrow transplant of a 35-year-old man who had acute leukemia. Transplantation was successful and prevented the progress of the cancer.

“We have to continue stem cell research in the clinical setting under established standards, open scientific exchange, peer review, and public oversight,” says Dr Cuanang. “For those of us in the scientific field, only under these conditions should stem cells be used at this time.”

In Congress, a bill to promote stem cell research has been filed by La Union Representative Eufranio Eriguel.