The country’s first-ever clinical testing of mesenchymal stem cell transplants will soon begin at China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) in Taichung after the project was approved by the Department of Health, hospital researchers said yesterday.
The project is one of a number of clinical experiments involving stem cells conducted by Bionet — a Taiwan-based biotech company — and sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Following the mesenchymal stem cell transplant tests, five other projects will be conducted at other hospitals.
Wu Kang-hsi (巫康熙), a CMUH physician who will supervise the testing, said the project would determine whether mesenchymal stem cells can help transplanted umbilical blood stem cells treat diseases related to malfunctioning hematopoietic stem cells, such as leukemia and thalassemia.
Mesenchymal stem cells are a type of multipotent stem cell that can differentiate into various cells, including pancreatic islet cells and neuronal cells.
Unlike most other adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained in quantities needed for clinical applications. They can also be maintained for long periods of time without losing their capacity to form different cell types.
Wu said that although umbilical blood stem cells have proven effective in repairing tissue and treating blood-related diseases, their efficiency is sometimes limited because only a small amount of the cells can be collected from umbilical blood and the cells tend to reproduce at slow rates after transplant operations.
“Some past experiments on animals suggested that when assisted by additional mesenchymal stem cells, the umbilical blood stem cells may be able to work twice as fast,” Wu said. “For this project, we aim to determine whether the results are the same for humans.”
Wu said the project at CMUH would last a year and include tests on at least 10 volunteers.
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