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First ever successful bone marrow transplant carried out in UAE

Abu Dhabi - The Abu Dhabi Bone Marrow Transplant programme was inaugurated today by the ADSCC.

The first ever successful bone marrow transplant has been carried out in the UAE, it was announced on Monday.

Typically used to treat patients with hematological and oncological illnesses, the bone marrow transplant was performed on a patient with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.

The transplant, which was the result of collaboration between Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre (ADSCC) and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, represents a groundbreaking advancement for cancer patients living in the UAE who can now seek treatment closer to home to remain with family.

Bone marrow transplants, or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, are one of the most established stem cell-based therapies in the treatment of cancer, particularly blood cancers. The unique treatment procedure developed by ADSCC involved harvesting peripheral blood stem cells from the patient, who then underwent high-dose chemotherapy to eradicate all cancerous cells and most of the bone marrow. The harvested stem cells were then infused back into the bloodstream, where they restore the destroyed cells and over the course of two weeks restart the production of healthy non-malignant blood cells.

"The patient is basically without an immune system while waiting for the transfused cells to take effect and must remain in isolation under the strictest infection control guidelines," said Dr. Yendry Ventura, General Manager of ADSCC and BMT Programme Director. "Since we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, we took additional precautions to ensure the best outcome possible for all involved."

The Abu Dhabi Bone Marrow Transplant programme (AD-BMT) was inaugurated today by the ADSCC.