By Dawn Tay

A PRIVATE clinic and a hospital are charging patients thousands of dollars for stem-cell treatment to counter ageing and heart disease.

But here's the catch: Such treatments are far from proven. Dr Y. M. Wong, medical director of Clinique Suisse, claims that he has used stem cells - from sheep and from patients' own blood or fat - for "anti-ageing" treatment for the last 10 years.

Following consultation at his clinic in Paragon Medical Centre, patients are flown to Switzerland, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur for treatment - at a cost of up to $30,000.

When asked whether he has conclusive data from clinical trials, he said: "We don't talk about clinical trials. We're not reducing people to digits and statistics. We treat people as a whole.

"I don't think like most doctors do. I'm different. Singapore doctors don't believe that stem cells can be used to delay ageing.

They're very conservative and feel that stem cells should be used only in leukaemia and other incurable diseases."

The health risks of using sheep cells, Dr Wong claimed, are "very rare". They include allergic reactions, along with rashes, fevers and pains.

However, on using sheep cells in "anti-ageing" treatments, Dr Edison Liu, Genome Institute of Singapore's executive director, stated categorically: "There is no evidence that the injection of sheep cells has any benefit.

"Any doctor who refuses to show objective data and subject it to review is a charlatan."

While research is ongoing and doctors here are hopeful, they say that claims about the effectiveness of adult stem cells in treating heart disease have yet to be proven conclusively.

Online, numerous stem-cell research companies also promise treatment for ailments ranging from spinal injuries to autism and Parkinson's disease, complete with glowing testimonies from supposedly-cured patients.

However, research scientist Hannes Hentze, vice-secretary of the Stem Cell Society Singapore, warned: "In most cases, there is no solid proof, only patchy reports of individuals who benefited from such procedures. I would strongly recommend staying away from any new, unproven treatments."

At least two adult stem-cell research companies claim to have partners in health-care group Parkway Holdings, which owns three private hospitals in Singapore.

One of the companies, TheraVitae (website pictured above), headquartered in Toronto, provides treatment in Bangkok for heart disease using adult stem cells from patients' blood.

When my paper contacted TheraVitae in the guise of a patient suffering from heart failure, this reporter was quoted a price of US$45,000 (S$65,000) for treatment and directed to Mount Elizabeth's Dr Eugene Sim, a prominent cardiothoracic surgeon.

He assured this reporter that the treatment was not part of a clinical trial, and that it was approved by an ethics board and the Health Sciences Authority.

The Health Ministry was unable to respond to the two cases by press time. When contacted, Parkway declined comment. TheraVitae's website, www.vescell.com, states that the therapy has not been approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration, and is unavailable there.

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