The transplant was performed by the medical team at KKH, led by Associate Professor Tan Ah Moy, Head of Paediatric Haematology/ Oncology Services in May 2006 when the patient was 13 months old.

Said Professor Tan, “Stem cell transplant was the only treatment option for this patient who was suffering from severe combined immunodeficiency - a fatal condition where the body is unable to fight infections. In this case, we were fortunate to find a matching cord blood unit from the SCBB, saving the life of the patient."
 
Making the announcement at this juncture coincides with the one year post-transplant anniversary, a significant milestone for the patient. The patient has since been cured of the potentially fatal disease and his doctor says he is developing well. He still requires close monitoring and follow-up at KKH as full immune system recovery may take up to one to two years.

Though stem cells can be derived from both bone marrow and cord blood, the latter is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice, especially for children, as the stem cells from cord blood are less likely to attack the body. The criteria for finding the right match also do not need to be as stringent as when using bone marrow.

Dr William Hwang, Medical Director, Singapore Cord Blood Bank and Consultant Haematologist and Transplant Physician, Singapore General Hospital pointed out, “Cord blood transplantation is an exciting new development in modern medicine that can save the lives of many patients suffering from blood disorders and cancers, but at present, few Singaporeans can find a suitable cord blood match. We are pleased to have been able to contribute our first cord blood unit for transplantation and hope we will be able to help many more patients. SCBB’s aim is to build the registry to provide placental cord blood units of high safety and quality to support cord blood transplantations for patients who need it.”

SCBB, the region’s first public cord blood bank, serves as a national resource to Singaporeans in need of cord blood transplantations. SCBB would obtain informed consent from women giving birth in Singapore who wish to donate their baby’s cord blood to its Registry.

The cord blood is then collected immediately after the delivery of the baby. This is after the umbilical cord has been clamped by the obstetrician and cut between the mother and baby. The blood is collected from the umbilicus vein from the section of the cord that remains attached to the placenta, not attached to the baby.

Donating cord blood to SCBB serves an important purpose as most international cord blood registries do not have units which are suitable for Singapore’s local populace. Given the multi-ethnic composition of Singapore’s population, SCBB may also be able to help Asians in the region and internationally, who seek suitably matched cord blood units for transplantation.

Currently, SCBB has banked 2,000 cord blood units in its Registry. It aims to bank another 2,000 units by April 2008. The ultimate goal is to have more than 10,000 cord blood units in its Registry, this would give patients an 80 per cent chance of finding an unrelated donor match.