Dr Maysoon Al Karam, chief medical officer, and Dr Antonio Bencomo Hernandez, head of laboratory and advanced technology, at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Dr Maysoon Al Karam, chief medical officer, and Dr Antonio Bencomo Hernandez, head of laboratory and advanced technology, at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Dr Maysoon Al Karam, chief medical officer, and Dr Antonio Bencomo Hernandez, head of laboratory and advanced technology, at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Dr Maysoon Al Karam, chief medical officer, and Dr Antonio Bencomo Hernandez, head of laboratory and advanced technology, at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Abu Dhabi stem cell therapy aims to treat the root of hair loss


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A pioneering Abu Dhabi health centre is embracing cutting-edge technology in a mission to banish baldness.

Doctors at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre say treatments which began at the start of the year are already showing promising results for hundreds of people experiencing hair loss.

The high-tech facility is driving innovation in health care to assist patients with a range of life-changing conditions, including cancer and multiple sclerosis, since opening in December 2019.

Now stem cells are being adopted to help halt hair loss – in men and women – and even encourage new growth of folicles.

It is important for patients to not wait long after they have started losing their hair
Dr Antonio Bencomo-Hernandez

Dr Antonio Bencomo-Hernandez, head of laboratory and advanced technology at centre, told The National that results are better for patients who have just started losing their hair.

“Every single day we have about 10 to 15 patients come in for stem cell hair therapy, so we have treated hundreds so far, given that we started this service at the beginning of this year.

"It is important for patients to not wait long after they have started losing their hair.”

Maysoon Al Karam, chief medical officer at the centre, said healthy patients in the early stages of hair loss are likely to benefit the most.

“It is an effective treatment, but it needs to be done in the right clinical setting and protocol," she said.

She said people should be wary of products promising miracle cures.

“Stem cells will not come in a bottle sold at the supermarket,” she said.

“I don’t know what these are but they definitely are not stem cells and it is important for people to not fall for it.”

Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre aims to be at the forefront of medical care in the Emirates. Victor Besa / The National
Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre aims to be at the forefront of medical care in the Emirates. Victor Besa / The National

How does the procedure work?

A few hairs, a maximum of 10, are extracted from the scalp and sent to a laboratory.

At the lab, stem cells are extracted from the hair follicles and processed before being injected back into bald spots.

Within three months, patients will start seeing new hair grow in these sites, doctors said.

They said it is essential that patients do not have any underlying health problems that are causing the hair loss or an unbalanced diet or vitamin deficiency.

If this is the case, these issues may need to be addressed before stem cell treatment can begin.

What is the success rate?

Since the procedure is in its infancy, the centre cannot guarantee the new hair will not fall out in subsequent years.

However, doctors are optimistic and said there has yet to be a case where newly grown hair has fallen out.

Stem cell treatment or traditional hair transplant?

Stem cell hair loss treatment and traditional hair transplants are very different. With traditional transplants, the healthcare provider takes grafts, or small pieces of skin, from parts of the body that contain healthy hair, such as the back of the scalp.

The grafts are then implanted on the hairless parts of the scalp. With stem cell treatments however, processed stem cells – taken from patients few days before – are implanted into the hair follicle so new hair can grow from them.

“The traditional hair transplant is a long procedure,” Dr Al Karam said.

With stem cell hair treatments, there is no recovery period and patients can resume daily activities immediately.

“Our treatment is innovative – women may need three sessions and men usually five sessions with 10 days between each session, but the number of sessions vary from case to case,” Dr Bencomo-Hernandez said.

Each session takes about 20 minutes, in which the stem cells are injected into the scalp. Doctors say the treatment is relatively painless.

The centre did not disclose the cost of individual therapies, but said its aim was to make it affordable to the general public.

"The treatment is personalised and therefore prices vary depending on the patient's clinical status.

"However, the access to this therapy is affordable and represents a better alternative to the high prices of hair transplant with promising results," Dr Al Karam said.

UAE is advancing stem cell therapy

  • Dr Yendry Ventura began work to set up the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre in late 2018. Victor Besa / The National
    Dr Yendry Ventura began work to set up the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre in late 2018. Victor Besa / The National
  • Antonio Alfonso Bencomo, laboratory head, prepares an immuno profile of a patient at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    Antonio Alfonso Bencomo, laboratory head, prepares an immuno profile of a patient at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • A lab technician at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    A lab technician at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • A lab technician performs a blood group analysis at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    A lab technician performs a blood group analysis at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • Dr Yendry Ventura and his team at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    Dr Yendry Ventura and his team at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • A laboratory technician in the Covid-19 laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    A laboratory technician in the Covid-19 laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • Inside the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    Inside the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
  • Dr Yendry Ventura, general manager of Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre with his team. Victor Besa / The National
    Dr Yendry Ventura, general manager of Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre with his team. Victor Besa / The National
  • A technician in the Covid-19 laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National
    A technician in the Covid-19 laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre. Victor Besa / The National

The UAE has made significant strides in stem cell therapy, which is viewed as key to enhancing health care, particularly in cancer treatment and life expectancy.

In 2022, the UAE successfully completed a bone-marrow transplant by using longer-term cryogenic freezing of healthy cells.

Last month, the centre set out plans to become a regional hub in the treatment of diseases such as Type 1 diabetes and end-stage organ failure.

Scientists are working around the clock to use stem cells for repairing and regenerating organs.

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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran. 

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf. 

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said. 

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer. 

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The trains

Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.

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Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.

Updated: August 10, 2023, 1:48 PM