LUTH Begins Nigeria’s First Bone Marrow By June
Tunde Sholanke
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) will commence the first bone marrow transplant in Nigeria by June 2023.
Professor of Paediatrics, Edamisan Olusoji Temiye, disclosed this while delivering the 13th inaugural lecture in the 2021/2022 academic session of the University of Lagos.
In his paper titled,” Catastrophic Diseases of Children: The Despair, The Struggle, The Hope for the Future”,the don further revealed that this milestone was the result of the collaboration between LUTH and Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN), which also encouraged the establishment of the first Comprehensive Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre in Lagos, the first of its kind in West Africa.
The Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Centre in LUTH, is anticipated to end the need for Nigerians to travel abroad to seek a cure for sickle cell disease,he said
According to him, the centre is expected to attract medical tourists from other countries seeking safe bone marrow transplantation procedures, marking a new era for medical tourism in Nigeria.
One of the equipment donated to the centre by the Chevron/NNPC joint venture, an 8-colour Beckmann flow cytometer, is required for Prof. Temiye and his team to process and determine the quality of bone marrow obtained from the donor to be transplanted into the recipient will also assist in the characterization of different types of cancers, particularly leukaemia, in Lagos.
Sharing his experience in dealing with three catastrophic diseases that affect children: sickle cell disease, HIV infection, and childhood cancers, Professor Temiye compared the statistics of these diseases in Nigeria to global data.
He disclosed that Nigeria has the highest population of people with sickle cell disease in the world.
He noted that his research team focused on pain management in sickle cell disorders, an aspect that was not considered by several other researchers and specialists in the field.
According to him, his team was pioneers in conducting a clinical trial on a local bean extract called Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea), which is marketed by Neimeth Pharmaceuticals International as Ciklavit®.
He expressed his disappointment at the lack of adequate funding for research into the cause, effect, and management of sickle cell disease in Nigeria, despite the high burden of the disorder in the country.
He emphasized the import of educating citizens from early childhood stages to adulthood about the disease, reducing stigma, and offering support to people living with sickle cell disease.
He commended the efforts of his team, and particularly expressed his appreciation to the management of LUTH led by Prof. Chis Bode, the Chief Medical Director, as well as the management of SCFN for the confidence reposed in him by appointing him as the Chairman of the Bone Marrow Transplant Working Group to ensure that the goals of the centre are realised in the shortest possible time.
Speaking of the continuing prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in Nigeria and its transmission to children, Professor Temiye called on the government to prioritize the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as well as scale up public education about HIV transmission, prevention, and treatment.
