Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh and his wife Geeta have stored the cord blood and tissue of Hinaya Heer Plaha, their new born baby, with Sussex-based Cells4Life, the UK’s largest stem cell banking and processing company, to help protect her from potential illnesses and diseases.
Hinaya Heer Plaha was born on July 27, 2016, in London and her parents felt it sensible to store the cord blood, which could protect her from potential illnesses and disorders in the future. The first ever cord blood transplant took place 28-years ago. Since then the popularity of such treatments has grown, with over 35,000 cord blood transplants having occurred worldwide. Stem cells are considered to be one of the cornerstones of a new field of science know as regenerative medicine and there are currently over 5,000 clinical trials being conducted to investigate their application to treat a number of conditions – from diabetes and Alzheimers, to spinal damage and hearing loss.
Harbhajan was also aware of how stem cell therapy can be used to treat injuries and prolong careers. One such case is the high-profile story of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo who underwent stem cell therapy for a torn hamstring. Hamstring injuries are common in most sports as the hamstring muscles and tendons can be over stretched, resulting in a tear. A study that looked at the potential of regenerative therapies, including stem cells, to treat tendon injuries states that they are an “attractive option” as utilising the “body’s intrinsic potential to repair and heal damaged tissues” often results in a whole and long-lasting repair.
Bowlers put a lot of stress on their rotator cuffs and despite improvement of surgical techniques, 25% of rotator cuff injuries re-tear after surgery. However, a study using the injection of mesenchymal stem cells during surgery has shown significant healing in patients with this problem. The results found that after 10 years, 87% of patients treated with stem cells still had their rotator cuffs intact.
Harbhajan said: “At the international level, you witness the magic stem cells can do for injuries. When we found out that cord blood was the best source of stem cells Hinaya could have, we knew we had to do this for her.”
In 2014, Cells4Life became the first bank in the UK to provide cord tissue for patient therapy. Chairman Wayne Channon adds: “We are very grateful to Harbhajan and Geeta for telling their story and promoting the vast array of benefits stem cell storage has to offer. Cord blood is the richest and most powerful source of stem cells that a person can ever have but there is only one opportunity to collect them – at birth, which is why it is so important that expectant parents are made aware that this option is available.”
