The idea came after a joint research project to test the safety of such a treatment indicated their stem-cell therapy was safe to use in patients, said Dr Kittipan V Arom, the director of the hospital.

"Although the results remain inconclusive, the majority of patients have responded positively," said Kittipan, speaking of the recent trials jointly conducted by a group of Thai doctors, an Israeli company, and Pittsburgh University. However, the medical news website www.medicalnewstoday.com reported yesterday that recipients of hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) for cancer face a significant long-term risk of developing a second cancer.

The British medical website also cited the results of a new study that will appear in the January 1, 2007 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

The whole purpose of stem-cell therapy in end-stage heart failure patients was to save lives after all other existing treatments fail to work, said Kittipan, adding there are approximately one million heart-disease patients in Thailand.

The details of further trials have yet to be concluded, said Kittipan, as research must be approved by both local and international ethical committees first.

Kittipan's hospital recently held an international symposium on stem-cell therapies to share research experiences with speakers from Europe, Canada, Japan and the US, according to the doctor.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation