Makati Medical Center’s Cellular Therapeutics Center received accreditation in March from the Department of Health as a hospital-based facility engaging in cell-based therapy in the Philippines.
The Center’s accreditation under DOH Administrative Order No. 2013-0012, or rules and regulations governing the accreditation of health facilities engaging in human stem cell and cell-based or cellular therapies in the Philippines, is valid until March 13, 2016.
This is testament to the level of service of the Cellular Therapeutics Center, which carries out stem cell procedures in a Biosafety Level 5 laboratory. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities from the US, Germany, and Japan, it ensures 90-95% cell purity and viability, making this treatment paradigm a great help for those who most need it.
“Cell-based therapy is the future of medicine,” says the Center’s Co-Director, Manuel O. Fernandez, Jr., MD. “The current paradigm has proven to be very promising in cancer-related, autoimmune, neurologic, and cardiac cases and we are excited for more developments.”
While it is now extensively used for blood-related disorders, further studies and tests can make stem cells treat even Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease.
Stem cell treatment, which was developed in the 1970s, can treat numerous blood disorders. Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) has been used to cure malignant and nonmalignant diseases including but not limited to: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, congenital disorders of blood, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplatic Syndrome, Myeloproliferative disorders, Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, testicular cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
Allogeneic HSCTs (a procedure which uses stem cells derived from various individuals) have also been used for stem cell disorders, erythrocyte disorders, inherited immune system deficits, and congenital metabolic diseases including: Aplastic Anemia, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, and Sickle Cell Anemia.
According to Co-Director Francisco S. Chung Jr., PhD, stem cells infused into the body post-chemotherapy migrate to the bone marrow and produce healthy stem cells. Since the strong substances in chemotherapy drugs also harm the healthy cells, the introduction of new, healthy cells through stem cell treatment greatly aid in the patient’s healing process.
Chung says harvesting of immature dendritic cells (DCs), such as those used in the US FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy for prostate cancer patients, begins with apheresis, wherein DCs are separated from the patient’s blood. Next is maturation, where the cells are immersed in an environment where they are cultured to perform their functions.
DCs then go through a stage called education, where they interact with the patient’s cancer cells to help the healthy cells identify the bad guys. Once the cells have been “taught” to destroy the cancer cells, they are then injected back to the patient.
Dr. Fernandez notes other positive changes observed among patients who have undergone stem cell treatment, “With our regenerative program which involves 12 months of patient monitoring, we have seen significant reduction in Reactive Oxygen Species (also known as Free Radicals) in our patients post stem cell infusion. Some age-related symptoms such as chronic pain and skin thickness also started to improve.”