Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre Achieves 100 Bone Marrow Transplants Milestone
Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: The Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre (ADSCC) has successfully performed 100 bone marrow transplants, also known as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, since the inception of its Abu Dhabi Bone Marrow Transplant Programme (AD-BMT). This significant achievement underscores ADSCC’s pivotal role in bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy on a national level, offering life-saving treatments to patients with various blood cancers, genetic diseases such as thalassemia and Krabbe, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
As the first Centre of Excellence in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation accredited by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, ADSCC has set new standards in transplant care. The Centre’s accomplishments include performing the UAE’s first bone marrow transplantation for a patient with multiple myeloma in 2020, the Middle East’s first for a patient with multiple sclerosis in 2022, the UAE’s first for a patient with thalassemia in 2023, and the first for a three-month-old baby with Krabbe disease. Furthermore, ADSCC manufactured the first CAR-T Cell Therapy in the UAE and the Middle East in 2023, thus eliminating the need for patients to travel abroad for complex care.
The AD-BMT programme boasts consistent positive outcomes, including successful engraftment rates with no incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and survival rates that match international standards. These achievements are further validated by the recent accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), making ADSCC the first cellular therapy product processing laboratory in the UAE to reach this milestone.
Professor Yendry Ventura, Chief Executive Officer of ADSCC and Adjunct Professor at United Arab Emirates University, remarked, “Guided by the UAE’s visionary leadership and aligned with the national agenda, we’ve introduced bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy in the UAE a few years ago, providing care for the most critically ill patients in the country and the region. Building on the programme’s success and increased demand, ADSCC launched CAR-T Cell Therapy, offering patients a wider spectrum of innovative care. We are proud to be among the few centres in the region offering this highly advanced level of care, capable of treating many patients with life-threatening diseases and eliminating their need to travel abroad for care. With our positive clinical outcomes, the programme’s impact extends to the broader medical community by setting new standards in transplant care and adopting innovations that enhance patient outcomes.”
Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Bone Marrow Transplant Program at ADSCC and Director-General of Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), added, “Bone marrow transplantation is a critical therapeutic intervention for patients with hematologic malignancies and other severe disorders. As a haematologist, it is incredibly gratifying to witness the profound impact our AD-BMT programme has had on patients and their families throughout the UAE and the region. Reaching the milestone of 100 transplants mostly in the past two years highlights the groundbreaking advancements and patient-focused care we are pioneering.
“The programme’s success has been demonstrated by the positive survival rates, reduced relapse rates, and enhanced quality of life post-transplant. These outcomes have been supported by rigorous preclinical and clinical research, optimised conditioning regimens, and advancements in donor matching and GVHD prophylaxis. Moreover, the extensive data collected from our patients provides valuable insights into disease mechanisms, immune reconstitution, and long-term survivorship, further improving our protocols and expanding the applicability of this life-saving treatment.”
In the last 24 months, ADSCC performed over 70 autologous and allogenic bone marrow transplants for patients with leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, and more than 20 for patients with multiple sclerosis, Krabbe disease, thalassemia, and other genetic diseases. Nearly 20 of these transplants were for children aged from three months to 18 years old.
Additionally, ADSCC is actively conducting various research and clinical studies related to adoptive cell transfer (ACT), an innovative treatment in the field of immunotherapy. This therapy involves using modified immune cells to fight cancer by extracting immune cells from the patient, enhancing them in the laboratory, and reintroducing them into the patient’s body to boost the immune system’s response against cancer, genetic and neurological disorders, and various autoimmune diseases.
