Eight patients with liver cirrhosis and lower limb vessel diseases will take therapy, involving modern cell technologies, in Kazan.
      
      Stem cell bank, established in Kazan State Medical University (KSMU) this march, got federal license for rendering services in the field of new cell technologies November 13. Kazan Medical University is the first medical university and the second state Russian institution to be licensed to have a cell bank and to use stem cells. Kazan health professionals say that they are careful with this technology, which is still not very well studied. Cell technologies can be widely used only after several stages of clinical trial and approbation.
      
      Eight specially selected patients will take experimental stem cell therapy in the Republican clinical hospital (RCH) till the end of 2005. Health professionals believe that new therapy is absolutely harmless for patients. Patients with certain types of diseases were selected according to results of numerous tests of said therapy. Moreover, experts have developed therapy protocol in accord with the patients. Patients’ diseases – liver cirrhosis and lower limb vessel diseases – do not require surgery.
      
      Therapy is based on patient’s own blood stem cells, because Kazan State Medical University lacks cell genetic typing equipment, necessary for creating a bank of donor stem cells in Kazan.
      
      Kazan clinical hospital isn’t an accidental choice for this experiment. Republican clinical hospital is the pioneer of Russian transplantology – first organ transplantations were performed here 15 years ago. Since that time RCH health professionals have performed 102 successful transplantations.
      
      Course of treatment for first eight patients is funded by Republic’s Ministry of Public Health. One-month treatment for one patient costs 180 thousand rubles (over $6 000). The stem cell is expected to find wider applications in 2006. Experts have recently worked out a scheme of the Republican target programme, aimed at developing stem cell technologies’ applications. Tatarstan State Council deputies have already approved the project. Specially equipped operating rooms are the key factor for making new technique used commonly. Such rooms are now available only in the Republican clinical hospital.
      
      Regnum Information Agency