Stem-cell treatment to be available in Belarus in 2014

An international center for cell technologies and a stem-cell therapy clinic are being established in Belarus. All the technicalities related to the stem-cell treatment will be settled by 2014, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Biological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) has told reporters on 1 July answering a question of a BelTA journalist.

A facility to produce stem cells and use them to treat diseases will be set up in Minsk. The research infrastructure of the project will be located at the Institute of Biophysics and Cellular Engineering, while patients will be treated at Minsk Teaching Hospital No. 9. The Healthcare Ministry has already upheld the project. Taking part in it is a venture company EurAsEC Center for Innovative Technologies.

“As long as there are people ready to pay for this kind of treatment, stem-cell therapy seems an interesting project from the commercial point of view,” the academician said. Potential treatments include cosmetic issues, eardrum defects, and diabetic trophic ulcers. Over 100 diseases can be treated using stem cells.

Potential customers cannot wait to take advantage of new treatment opportunities. “People call us and ask when we start providing stem-cell treatment services,” the scientist said.

The establishment of the facility to produce stem cells and use them for treatment is among the major objectives of biotechnology scientists in 2013.