Heart muscle tissue regeneration is an attractive prospect for people with end-stage heart failure that requires heart transplants in Qatar, a symposium was told.
Enough hearts for transplant are not available in the country because a majority of the people are unwilling to donate organs of their dead relatives.
Due to this reason, those having heart problems are now instead receiving a very expensive ventricular device - a pump planted alongside the heart to help the heart function
properly.
Tissue re-engineering offers possible treatments for patients with heart failure, lung cancer and other illnesses of the pancreas, liver, eyes, and the bones, requiring active muscle cells.
The importance of tissue regenerative therapy in assisting the patients with cardiac problems was part of the points highlighted at the first Qatar-Japan Symposium on Tissue Regenerative Therapy symposium which concluded yesterday.
The symposium organised by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Osaka University, Japan, was held at the Al Zahwari Auditorium in HMC’s Heart Hospital (HH).
It brought together eminent international speakers in the field of tissue re-engineering and local healthcare experts to engage in discussions on the subject, including Imperial College, UK and Bambino Gesù Hospital, Rome.
The symposium marked an important academic exchange between Qatari and Japanese scientists and doctors.
The two-day event served as a platform for senior physicians, consultants and specialists at HMC and other healthcare organisations to discuss and explore ways how patients in Qatar can benefit from the exchange of ideas around the subject.
The Japanese ambassador to Qatar Shingo Tsuda said: “I am delighted that we have been invited to collaborate with Hamad Medical Corporation on this important symposium in Qatar, which bears such importance on the future of healthcare. I very much hope the symposium is successful for all participants and that this will further deepen the relationship between Qatar and Japan.”
HMC managing director Hanan al-Kuwari expressed optimism that the collaboration between HMC and Osaka University will bring the top-class, cutting-edge scientific technology to Qatar.
“Tissue re-engineering is one of the most exciting medical developments of the current times and knowing that Japan has been at the forefront of applying this therapy, we are delighted to be collaborating with Osaka University to hold this symposium that will pave the way for us to introduce the technology to Qatar,” she stated.
Dean Yasufumi Kaneda from Osaka University said: “We are very pleased to be collaborating with Hamad Medical Corporation on this exciting symposium. The exchange of knowledge and research is critical to enable advancements in healthcare and we hope that this event will be the start of a relationship that will produce great results for patients the world over.”
The symposium organising committee chairman and Cardiothoracic Surgery chairman Dr Abdulaziz Alkhulaifi explained that the symposium was particularly exciting for his  department “as it always looks forward to finding innovative treatments” for patients with heart troubles.
“In Qatar and most of the countries around the world there is a significant percentage of heart patients who have end stage heart failure – where patients either require heart transplantation or a ventricular device. However, since majority of the people in Qatar are unwilling to donate the hearts of their relatives and the ventricular device is very expensive, the heart muscle regeneration appears to be a very attractive prospect,” he pointed out.
A variety of other topics focused on re-engineering tissue and muscle cells in eye surgery, pancreatic surgery, joint surgery and cartilage repair were covered during the symposium.