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TechVoice: Can Stemcell Therapy Be The Answer To Minimising Fatalities Caused By COVID19?

April 23, 2020

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Vipul Jain, CEO, Advancells

The world is passing through quite a rough phase. The global economy is crashing, healthcare systems worldover are under immense strain, the price of crude oil has fallen below zero for the first time, companies are slashing jobs and scaling back operations, people are holed up at home working remotely, countries are in lockdown; fully aware of the economic slide this is causing. All this because of a virus. So what is happening around the world? Do you really need to take a deep dive into the data and the calculus generated so far? Do you really have the time to analyze the same and take action accordingly?

Experts are suggesting, if you really start doing that, other nations will soon slip into the nightmare currently is being faced by USA, Italy, Spain, China – all of which are grappling with a high mortality rate caused by COVID19. Contrary to which, if you start working on it quickly, you can still pass through the crisis.

Since COVID-19 has been declared to be pandemic by the World Health Organization; each country is facing a rapid spike in a number of infected people. Remember, in this, we are ignoring cases, which have still not been tested; once tested there can be havoc in a number of confirmed cases, which may have infected more people around. This can be explained in a more simplified language as one infected person can contaminate 100 other people, who are in close contact; and is sufficient to raise the curve rapidly. One of the primary questions that need immediate attention here is whether your country is adequately equipped with necessary after cares? If not then the only probable solution is to bend the curve; by increasing the immunity, being healthier and pushing the chance of being infected into the future.

Countries like Japan, Germany, and South Korea have bent the curve to an extent, where they have been able to offer the right care to infected patients and have provided sufficient precautionary options to help people to strengthen their immunity, lower inflammation, minimize spread.

So this is exactly what I mean by bending the curve, leading to spread out cases over a longer period of time; by being stronger in you.

How about “Bending the curve” with the help of stem cell therapy?

It is indeed a hard truth of our healthcare system that we need to believe and understand our system has limitations. Reports from Italy are suggesting that numbers of deaths are more not because they couldn’t be saved in the viral pandemic; but because they could not get sufficient aftercare that they needed the most.

And the only option would be to delay the chances of being infected, and stem cells can definitely help you in doing so!

Recently, China has published a case study wherein a 65-year-old lady, critically suffering from COVID-19 was offered Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the Umbilical Cord. The study concluded with significant clinical outcomes, higher tolerance, and reduced respiratory inflammation post stem cell therapy.

In another location of Wuhan, which has been noted to be an epicenter of the corona outbreak, 7 patients suffering from infection were administered with Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from Umbilical Cord and have been reported to have a complete recovery from the infection. Further studies in the same, have cleared proved that patients who had undergone stem cell therapy post-infection were reportedly had decreased pool of inflammatory cytokines that have been reportedly the primary cause of deaths in COVID-19 infections.

Mesenchymal Stem cells isolated from Umbilical Cord Wharton’s jelly are being reported as the only possible solution at this moment to minimize the inflammatory cytokine pools in the circulation and prevent death associated with the infection. The only challenge that can be faced is travel associated with stem cell therapy, and we have a possible solution over the issue; but the question is, are you with us in bending the curve?

  • Vipul Jain is the CEO of Advancells. This piece has been published as part of our series #TechVoice. To contribute, write to sindhuja@nasscom.in
Liang B, et al. Clinical remission of a critically ill COVID-19 patient treated by human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. https://3n30av2dln0g4fmlc03hpv0p-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/202002.00084v1.pdf.pdf. Accessed 3/15/20.
(2) Leng Z et al. Transplantation of ACE2- Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves the Outcome of Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia. Aging and Disease. 2020 , 0 (0): 216-228 https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2020.0228

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