Strict rules bar use of stem cells for unproven therapies: Blood banks

THE three blood banks here have given the assurance that banked stem cells from cord blood would not be abused.

They say that there is no way the stem cells could be used for unproven therapies, not with the strict regulations of the Health Ministry and the standards set by international bodies.

They were reacting to a recent warning by a top scientist from the United States that cord blood banks in many countries were overstating the abilities of stem cells, promising that they could be used to create organs or even skeletal muscle when they cannot.

Dr Irving Weissman, director of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Stanford University in the US, said well-meaning parents in many countries who deposited stem cells from their babies’ umbilical cords, with a view to using the cells to cure major illnesses that could occur later in life, were being fleeced.

Speaking to reporters at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he said these cells have limited capacity to make scar, bone and fat, but they do not make brain, blood, heart or skeletal muscle.

Cord blood comes from the umbilical cord. It contains stem cells, which can develop into different types of blood cells.

Such stem cells are lifesavers for people with immune, genetic or blood-related diseases because they need new blood cells to replace their ravaged ones. And that is what they will be used for here, say the blood banks.

Singapore has a public blood bank, the Singapore Cord Blood Bank (SCBB), and two private ones, CordLife and Stem-Cord. All three banks said that before signing up an expectant mother, counselling is provided to ensure potential clients are properly informed.

Dr Teo Cheng Peng, medical director of StemCord, said that while stem cell transplants are a proven treatment option for many patients with blood disorders and certain cancers, Dr Weissman’s warning was timely. “At StemCord, we tend to be conservative because we are doctors first and businessmen second. We feel therapies should be done only when they are proven beyond doubt. Cord blood banks have a social responsibility – not just to store hope for the future, but also to refuse to propagate false hope today.”

It costs $800 for the initial set-up and $250 a year to store cord blood at Stem-Cord. At CordLife, it costs a one-time fee of $1,400 and $200 annually for storage. Each has about 20,000 collections.

CordLife CEO Steven Fang said it is difficult for lay people to differentiate between the different types of stem cells.

He said while there are a few bad apples in the various industries, it is no different for the cord blood stem cell banking sector.

“Banking cord blood has become part and parcel of birthing. While the warning may be timely, it could also work in the reverse... creating enough fear among people that they no longer consider banking cord blood as an option,” he added.

SCBB medical director William Hwang said it is important to scrutinise any medical claim, and just because treatments can be performed safely does not mean they will be effective.

The SCBB, which opened in 2005, is Singapore’s only non-profit public cord blood bank. It now stores more than 5,500 cord blood units, and is working with hospitals here to build up 10,000 units in the next three to four years.