Nothing to fear on stem cell therapy, says biochemist

MANILA, Philippines - A biochemist and cell biologist yesterday allayed fears on stem cell therapy following the claims of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) chairman Antonio Villar about the alleged ill-effects he experienced after undergoing the procedure.

Francisco Chung Jr., scientific officer at the Cellular Therapeutics Laboratory of the Makati Medical Center (MMC)’s Stem Cell Unit, said there is available medical expertise in the Philippines on stem cell therapy, as he cited many success stories on how the treatment fought cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and even aging.

Villar had admitted undergoing stem cell procedure by foreign doctors in a Mandaluyong City hotel.

Chung said the Department of Health (DOH) had accredited four hospitals engaging in human stem cell and cell-based or cellular therapies. These are the MMC, The Medical City, National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), and the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP).

He gave the statement in yesterday’s 35th Annual Scientific Meeting headed by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) at the Manila Hotel.

He said MMC’s Cellular Therapeutics Laboratory was classified as ISO 14644-1 clean room and ISO 5 class facility.

He said he had performed many successful stem cell treatments at the MMC where he is currently connected, and previously at the LCP.

“I can only speak now for Makati Med, and I can say that we are internationally at par with global standards,” Chung told The STAR.

Chung said Villar’s stem cell treatment was apparently a pheno-transplantation, which means the stem cells were derived from animals.

“The source is coming from an animal. If those that came from a human are sometimes rejected, how much more if it came from an animal,” he said, adding that Villar’s case should be studied carefully to ascertain the reasons for the DDB chair’s health miseries.