American Hospital Dubai's Bone Marrow Transplant centre performs three transplants from unrelated donors

American Hospital Dubai achieves another milestone in bone marrow transplants, becoming the first adult Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) centre in the region to successfully perform three unrelated donor transplants, utilizing donor stem cells from countries as diverse as Germany, India, and Chile. The hospital has three more BMT transplants scheduled in the upcoming weeks.

The procedure, known as Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, involves using healthy stem cells from donors, related or unrelated to the patient, to replace the patient's damaged stem cells caused by radiation treatment, chemotherapy, or other medical conditions. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a life-saving procedure for patients diagnosed with blood cancers and non-cancerous blood conditions.

The most crucial step in the allogeneic transplantation is identifying a matched bone marrow donor for human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The first donor source is typically a brother, sister, or family member. However, many patients do not have a family member who matches as a donor. HLA, or human leukocyte antigens, are critical proteins found on most cells in the body and are matched for compatibility between the donor’s blood and that of the recipient (the patient).

American Hospital Dubai works closely with the world's largest bone marrow donor registry, DKMS, to provide HLA-matched unrelated donors for MUD (Matched Unrelated Donor) transplantation for patients without a family donor.

DKMS has almost 12,000,000 donors and is expanding, especially to include ethnic minority groups. Through DKMS, American Hospital has access to another 18,000,000 donors from other registries worldwide.

American Hospital Dubai’s state-of-the-art Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) centre provides cutting-edge services in autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants. It features advanced laboratory facilities that carry out stem cell mobilisation, collection, storage, and reinfusion of cells, along with dedicated and specialised rooms for patient care.

American Hospital Dubai’s Bone Marrow Transplant unit comprises a team of specialists, subspecialists, and allied staff qualified in Europe and the United States, with an international affiliation for multidisciplinary case reviews and discussions. The nurses possess expertise in bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedures and experience in apheresis (the process of separating blood components to obtain stem cells), cellular therapy, and post-transplant care.

Dr. Emmanouil Nikolousis, Consultant Haematologist and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) expert at American Hospital Dubai, stated, “We are immensely pleased with the results of the three stem cell transplant procedures using unrelated donor cells. The absence of a family donor for a patient awaiting donor stem cells is a critical challenge, and we ensure we meet this challenge through our global collaborations with donor registries.”

Sherif Beshara, Group CEO of American Hospital Dubai, said, “American Hospital Dubai’s BMT centre leads the way in cancer care and stem cell transplant excellence. We are committed to offering the most advanced cancer care and stem cell transplants in the UAE and the region and building alliances with the world’s top bone marrow donor registries to provide the best treatment solutions for our patients.”