Center to develop stem cell research

KUWAIT: Sheikha Salwa Al-Sabah Center for Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord will pave the way forward to develop services and researches in the healthcare sector, said Kuwait Holding Projects Company (KIPCO) yesterday. The center will help advance research within the stem cell and umbilical cord domains and will aid in developing a strong partnership between the public and private sectors within health services, KIPCO Vice Chairman Faisal Hamad Al-Ayyar said in a statement.

Hopefully, this facility will make it easy for the public to access necessary healthcare in Kuwait, said Ayyar who affirmed stem cell and umbilical cord researches will be crucial to the treatment of various Intractable diseases. According to the company, KIPCO and its Group companies will hand over the Sheikha Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmad Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Center in mid-September 2017, with 70 per cent of the construction of the building now complete. The center, financed through a KD seven million donation made to the Ministry of Health by Masharee AlKhair Charity Organization on behalf of KIPCO Group, is the Gulf region’s first-ever center to be dedicated to stem cell research and the storage of umbilical cords.

The Sheikha Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmad Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Center is being built over a 12,000-squaremeters plot of land in the Al Sabah Health Zone, opposite the Maternity Hospital. It has a total built up area of 7,800-square-meters and includes a three-floor main building, a utilities building, in addition to external landscaping and parking. The facility includes testing and research laboratories, blood and cord storage banks, research and medical libraries, as well as a lecture theater.

In addition to KD 7 million donation, the Advanced Technology Company, a member of the KIPCO Group, has pledged to provide stateof-the-art equipment for the center’s specialized laboratories, cooling systems and stem cell storage facilities. ATC’s contribution is valued at KD 1 million.