Hope for patients as Kemri opens Kenya’s first stem cells lab

Kenyans with chronic disease might soon be able to undergo stem cell therapy in the country.

This is after the Kenya Medical Research Institute on Thursday unveiled a stem cell research centre.

The unit established at the Kemri’s Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development in Nairobi will serve as a stem cell research hub at the host institution as well as to the local, regional, and international collaborators thus making Kemri a centre of excellence.

Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition.

Stem cells are the cells that develop into blood, brain, bones, and all of the body’s organs.

They have the potential to repair, restore, replace, and regenerate cells, and could possibly be used to treat many medical conditions and diseases.

The research will enable scientists at the centre to develop new therapies to regenerate and repair tissues that have been damaged or affected by diseases or accidents.

The laboratory will focus on research in new therapies for cancer, diabetes, burns and Leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar).

The centre commissioned on Thursday has been established under Sh77.2 million infrastructure grant, awarded to a team of KEMRI scientists in 2020.

It has been equipped with modern equipment for stem cell research.

“Though our major efforts has been on infectious diseases, we are very much aware of the rising cases of non-communicble diseases among them cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, spinal cord injuries, strokes and burns,” Kemri acting director general Elijah Songok said.

Scientists at Kemri will be able to generate healthy cells to replace those affected by cancer, road accidents and other diseases in what is known as regenerative medicine.

Stem cells can be guided into becoming specific cells that can be used in people to regenerate and repair tissues that have been damaged or affected by the disease.

Kemri board CEO Abdullahi Ali said the centre will impact directly in addressing a major part of the country’s sustainable development goals in NCDs.

He has acknowledged the burden of NCDs in the country, with more than 50 per cent of in-patient hospital admissions and 27 per cent of deaths annually being traced to these diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases account for the majority of the NCDs related deaths in the country, a trend experts say is worrying.

“This calls for the urgent need to find solutions to tackle these diseases including new approaches for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of such diseases,” Ali said.

“As research scientists, we believe stem cell research will increase a deeper understanding of how diseases occur and how best to tackle them.” 

National Research Fund CEO Dickson Andala said the stem cell research centre will carry out research on stem cell and regenerative medicine in disease management hence a big milestone in the health sector in the country.

The unit will also spearhead training of post-graduate students and research scientists in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine, as well as establish a repository of stem cells in Kenya.    BY THE STAR