Today's Edition
KIRSTIN BERNABE (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi resident Felize Flores-Navarro, a mother of three, wishes she had been able to bank her children's cord blood. As a cancer survivor, she was well aware of the life-saving potential that stored stem cells could hold. But, because the service was too expensive for her growing family, she and her husband had to let the opportunity pass.
Having battled cancer twice, the expat wanted to do everything possible to give her kids the best fighting chance if they ever need personalised treatment for a life-threatening disease.
"I know that not all cancers and conditions can be treated with stem cells from cord blood, but who knows when they may come in handy? Who knows what can be possible through the next scientific discoveries?" Navarro told Aletihad.
Cord blood, collected from a newborn's umbilical cord at birth, contains stem cells that can treat diseases such as leukaemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anaemia and certain immune disorders. It has been used in over 60,000 transplants worldwide, with ongoing research exploring its potential in new life-saving therapies.
In the UAE, private cord blood banking can cost anywhere from Dh20,000 to Dh38,000 - prices that are too steep for many expecting families.
Abu Dhabi Biobank, which is operated by global health champion M42, comes in as a game-changer as it offers the service at half the current market rates. Through the facility, families can get their newborns' cord blood stored for as low as Dh7,500.
"The pricing is offered as bronze (Dh7,500), silver (Dh10,000) and gold (Dh12,500) packages with different benefits, making it accessible and affordable for most families," Paul Downey, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Biobank, told Aletihad.
Besides lower rates, he added that the centre offers flexible payment plans, "including minimal upfront payments and customers can convert the payments to easy monthly instalments through participating banks."
Since launching the new, affordable pricing in March, Downey said they've seen an encouraging response from the public.
Life-Saving Treatments
There is growing interest in cord blood banking, said Dr. Mai Mohammed Elsayed, an obstetrics and gynaecology specialist at Medeor Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
"As more families hear about its potential benefits - whether through discussions or emerging information - they're increasingly inclined to explore this option," she told Aletihad.
Dr. Elsayed encourages families to consider the blood banking option, especially those "with a history of genetic disorders or medical conditions that could potentially be treated with stem cells" - as was the case with Navarro.
Stored cord blood can be used to treat more than 80 disorders, said Downey of Abu Dhabi Biobank. "The cord blood stem cells can combat life-threatening and highly prevalent diseases like beta thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia and other blood disorders."
UAE-based oncologist Dr. Arwa El Dhuwaib enumerated other conditions that can be cured through stem cell transplants. These include malignancies like leukaemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and neuroblastoma, some bone marrow failure and other types of hereditary anaemia. They can also be beneficial in treating metabolic diseases like Gaucher's disease, Hurler syndrome, and Niemann Pick syndrome; and immune deficiency diseases like severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).
Saving the Life of a Loved One
Besides its powerful therapeutic potential, cord blood offers an advantage in genetic matching.
"The newborn's cord blood can be a perfect genetic match for family members requiring stem cell transplants or therapies. The 25% chance of siblings being a perfect match can help save the life of a loved one in a family," Downey said.
Dr. El Dhuwaib, however, noted certain limitations, including "a risk that cord blood stem cells already contain premalignant cells and cannot be used to treat the child; the same is applied when there is a known genetic defect in a family."
Nevertheless, the potential of cord blood in regenerative medicine remains significant.
"The development of stem cell-based therapies has a big potential to revolutionise the field of regenerative medicine and to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide," said Dr. El Dhuwaib, a paediatric haematology oncology specialist at NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah.
"There are plenty of ongoing research and clinical trials on using cord-blood-derived cells to regenerate or promote the repair of damaged organs, especially in cases when medical needs to prevent or reduce degenerative disease are still unmet with current practice. Examples of these trials are in type 1 diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord damage," the specialist added.
World-class Facility
Abu Dhabi Biobank is the region's largest multi-modal cord blood collection and storage facility. Its centre in the capital's Masdar City can store up to 100,000 cord blood units and more than 5 million pan-human samples.
"We firmly believe that these capabilities, complemented by our scientific expertise, make us the partner of choice for families, entities and governments," Downey said.
Families can register by visiting Abu Dhabi Biobank's website at https://abudhabibiobank.ae/. The centre's hotline 800 213 can also connect families to an adviser, who can explain the banking options.
