Manila, Philippines - The Philippines is now home to the world-leading Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine (IPMM), offering a comprehensive range of clinical and laboratory services in molecular and cellular therapeutics, including stem cell therapies for both Filipino and foreign patients.
The backbone of IPPM is regenerative medicine, a revolutionary field involving the engineering of cells and other biomaterials to prevent disease and maintain wellness as well as restore or replace organ function with the common goal of improving the quality of life.
The establishment of IPPM aims to expand the regenerative medicine program of The Medical City (TMC), which is among the pioneers of the medical practice in the country. Since its inception in 2004, the TMC regenerative medicine program has served some 275 local and foreign patients in the country.
Regenerative medicine therapies restore the structure and function of damaged tissues and organs, lost or impaired due to disease, injury or aging, by harnessing the body’s ability to heal itself. In regenerative medicine, stem cells are collected from the patient, and these cells undergo extensive stimulation and sensitization in order to transform them into specialized, disease-fighting cells.
IPMM is headed by Dr. Samuel D. Bernal, director, one of the most respected figures in the fields of medical oncology and regenerative medicine globally. The institute brings together clinicians from specialized medical fields and scientists from the basic sciences of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science in developing and delivering interventions that respond to wellness and illness at the molecular level.
“IPMM brings out the newest and the best of The Medical City. The institute distinguishes TMC from other medical institutions in the country,” says Dr. Alfred R.A. Bengzon, president and CEO of TMC.
Personalized molecular medicine is a paradigm of care based on the belief that each patient is unique, the synergy of his genetic make-up, history, and lifestyle. This means that when treating patients, no two individuals and no two diseases are the same. The potential benefits of personalized molecular medicine are immense. Topping the list is the promise of prevention, early disease detection, and treatments optimized for each patient.
Located on the newly renovated 12th floor of the Nursing Tower of The Medical City in Ortigas, Pasig City, IPMM houses an out-patient clinic with consultation and treatment facilities, as well as state-of-the-art in-patient rooms not found anywhere else in the country.
According to Dr. Bernal, aside from disease prevention and early detection, personalized molecular medicine can revolutionize the treatment of cancer and other diseases such as diabetes, metabolic disorders, neurological diseases (Parkinson’s, dystonia, Alzheimer’s, spinal cord and nerve injuries), diseases of the heart (non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, post-myocardial infarction), liver (cirrhosis, hepatitis), bones (bone and cartilage regeneration, osteoporosis), kidney (acute and chronic renal diseases), eyes (cornea damage, retinal diseases, glaucoma), and other degenerative diseases as well as the treatment of burns and trauma.
IPMM offers stem cell transplant, molecular profiling, individualized chemotherapy, and umbilical cord services. Stem cell transplant refers to the infusion of healthy cells into the patient’s body. In molecular profiling, tests are conducted to identify genes and other biomarkers of disease to predict a patient’s response to treatments including drugs and other therapies.
Through IPMM’s individualized chemotherapy, the most effective chemotherapeutic agents will be selected and administered by a medical oncologist or hematologist based on the result of molecular profiling. On the other hand, umbilical cord services comprise the collection, processing, expansion, and storage of the whole umbilical cord and cord blood as a rich future source of stem cells and other biomaterials.
The IPMM also offers targeted biotherapy and adaptive immunotherapy. Targeted biotherapy makes use of biomolecules specifically selected to interfere with the growth of a patient’s cancer cells and fight drug resistance that may result from chemotherapy. Adaptive immunotherapy activates the body’s own immune system to fight cancer or treat various autoimmune diseases.
“It can be done in the Philippines, here at The Medical City. TMC’s personalized care and expertise can rival that of the best hospitals in the United States and Europe,” he adds.
For more information, call The Medical City’s Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine at 988-1000/988-7000 local 6307/6551, or visit www.themedicalcity.com.ph.