Doctors at the Global Hospitals have claimed that preliminary studies on the use of stem cell therapy to treat certain heart ailments have shown encouraging results.
At a press conference on the eve of an international symposium on advances in cell-based therapies here on Friday, P.L.N. Kapardhi, cardiologist, said that bone marrow stem cells were transplanted to improve the condition of patients suffering from cardiomyopathy. After six months, the pumping of the heart improved. The muscle function also improved in those who suffered ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Chairman and Managing Director K. Ravindranath said that stem cell therapies were at present being tried for spinal and heart problems. It was planned to try them for blood cancers and diabetes in future. He said that stem cell therapy has the potential to provide cure for many diseases.
Krishna Komanduri, director of adult stem cell transplant programme, Miami University, Florida, USA, said outcomes improved dramatically after stem cells were transplanted in leukaemia patients.
G.P.V. Spinal Surgeon at Global Hospitals said there was lot of scope to improve the function of limbs in patients who suffer paralysis of hands and legs due to spinal cord injury. He said that variable results were obtained in studies conducted in this regard at the institution.
Besides the presentation by doctors Krishna Komanduri and Rao V.L. Papineni will talk on the importance of molecular imaging in stem cell transplantation at Saturday's symposium.
