New hope for liver cirrhosis patients using stem cells

Chennai, Jan 24 (UNI) Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) here is introducing stem cell therapy for liver cirrhosis in collaboration with Yamaguchi University of Japan.

NCRM has been researching corneal limbal stem cells with the noted eye institute, Sankara Nethralaya, and is offering stem cell therapy for diabetic ulcers at Vijaya Hospital, both in Chennai.

Liver cirrhosis is a chronic disease mainly caused by alcoholism or viral infection (especially Hepatitis C), in which normal liver cells and tissue are destroyed, and can prove fatal.

Tissue is replaced by fibrotic scar tissue as well as regenerative nodules, leading to progressive loss of liver function, NCRM director Dr Samuel J K Abraham told UNI here.

Liver being the major organ for metabolism in human body, any level of failure in function has adverse consequences. Failure is followed by damage of other organs such as kidney and brain.

The new therapy perfected by Prof Sakaida of Yamaguchi University, Japan, involves taking 300 to 400 ml of the patients bone marrow and separating stem cells using in-house technology.

The stem cells then are injected into the patients through peripheral veins. The injected stem cells reach the damaged liver and repair it.

''This method is considered safe as it does not use any foreign material and so there is no chance of rejection of cells,' Dr Abraham said.

UNI