Stem cell magic

Stem cells are precursor cells capable of self-proliferation, differentiating into many types of cells, tissues, and organs of the body, in order to replace cells lost due to natural aging and death, or by disease. Because of that, more and more people want to store stem cells for later treatment.

Storing stem cells in cold nitrogen at -150 degrees C - Photo: Duong Ngoc

Store thousands of stem cell samples

From March 2014, the Institute of Hematology - Central Blood Transfusion (Hanoi) also started implementing the community cord blood TBG bank, up to now, there are 550 TBG samples stored; and 7 patients with blood disease have found a suitable TBG sample from this bank. Here, on average, each day receives and processes 4 - 6 TBG samples of cord blood. BS Phu Chi Dung, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital, said: “Economic conditions develop and increasingly Many people know about the use of stem cells (TBG) in treatment, so recently many people have come to the hospital to ask about TBG storage of cord blood. Currently, the hospital is storing 700 TBG samples of cord blood in service form and 2,300 samples in community form. Community type is BV self-stored samples used to treat patients when needed; And the kind of service is that people send it themselves for a fee, for their own personal use, when needed ”.

According to the BS, umbilical cord blood, also known as umbilical cord blood or placenta blood flows through the fetal circulation and provides nourishment to the developing fetus in the mother's womb - the rest in the umbilical cord and cake. placenta when pregnant gives birth to a baby. In the past, the umbilical cord and placenta, after being cut off from a newborn baby, were considered medical waste, discarded, but later cord blood was collected, processed, quality checked and stored. so that when needed, it is possible to get treatment for the child itself, or for family members. Since the early 1980s, experts have determined that an infant's cord blood contains an abundant source of hematopoietic TBG that can replace bone marrow TBG, peripheral blood TBG in the treatment of medical conditions. of the hematopoietic system. Recently, it has also discovered and isolated mesenchymal and epithelial TBG in cord blood and cord blood TBG transplant is used in many other medical fields such as skin, corneal, cardiovascular diseases, Osteoarthritis, nerves, diabetes ... The process of wound healing and recovery of degeneration and damage of tissues and organs in the body has many complex mechanisms, but the end result is repetition The tissues have been degenerated, damaged. It is the TBG that will be used to regenerate those damaged cells. Therefore, treatment with TBG is to replenish young cells, which can create new types of cells, or new tissue to complement or replace damaged or dysfunctional cells and organ tissue.

What treatment has VN applied TBG to?

Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion Hospital - Hematology is a domestic pioneer in the application of TBG in medical treatment. In 1995, the first bone marrow TBG transplant in Vietnam was performed at this hospital, successfully treated patients with leukemia (chronic myeloid leukemia). Up to now, this patient is still alive. This is an important milestone in the domestic TBG application.

By 1996, BV continued blood transfusion - Hematology TP continued to transplant TBG peripheral blood for treatment of blood cancer patients (leukemia of the myeloid line). And in 2002, this BV continued to be the first place in the country to successfully transplant cord blood TBG, treating patients with hereditary anemia.

As of June this year, the country had about 340 TBG transplants (including cord blood TBG, bone marrow TBG and peripheral blood TBG), of which the Hospital of Blood Transfusion - Hematology in Ho Chi Minh City accounted for the most - with 165 schools. well suited.

Dr. Tran Ngoc Que, Deputy Director of TBG Center (Institute of Hematology - Blood Transfusion), added: “Nearly 20 years, Vietnam has performed about 350 TBG transplants of all kinds. Compared to Japan, this is a modest number, because we still limit the source of TBG donation, TBG suitable for patients. In Japan, in recent years, an average of 3,500 cases each year are treated with TBG transplant, of which 47% of transplant cases are cord blood TGB. The success rate of TBG transplant application for treating blood diseases is about 70% ”.

According to Dr. Bach Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of Institute of Hematology - Central Blood Transfusion, TBG transplantation to treat some malignancies of hematopoietic system has been successfully applied at this hospital. “For TBG transplants, health facilities can get from donated relatives, but this is very difficult because the right person is not always eligible for TBG donation (obtained from bone marrow). . With TBG resources provided by the community cord blood TBG bank, it may also be eligible for transplantation on patients not of the same bloodline. Because TBG transplantation is in the same race, there is also an appropriate proportion. Before transplanting, cases will be tested to determine the suitability level, ”said Dr. Khanh.

Dr. Phu Chi Dung said: “Currently with a sample of TBG cord blood will be used to treat a person weighing 20-30 kg. Experts are working to multiply a sample of cord blood TBG before transplant treatment. The application of TBG blood umbilical cord increasingly promises to open up many potentials in the treatment of many types of cancer, genetics, diabetes ... ".