… launches bone marrow transplant program
By Chioma Obinna
Nigerians with sickle cell disease found relief this weekend as a groundbreaking milestone has been achieved in the fight against sickle cell disease at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), in partnership with the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria (SCFN), with the successfully launch of a bone marrow transplant program.
To this end, the first set of patients to undergo bone marrow transplants at LUTH were admitted in August 2024 and have successfully received the necessary treatments, including exchange blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and anti-infective prophylaxis.
The bone marrow stem cells were harvested from family donors, processed and infused this week.
Announcing the feat in a joint press statement, signed by the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, and Chief Executive Officer, SCFN, Dr. Annette Akinsete, the duo said patient access for a cure for Sickle Cell Disease is now a reality.
This program marks a significant step towards providing a cure for sickle cell disease, a debilitating genetic disorder that disproportionately affects individuals in Nigeria.
The partnership has been working tirelessly to establish a high-quality, accessible bone marrow transplant program that meets international standards.
Sickle cell disease is a major public health concern in Nigeria, with millions of people affected. The disease can lead to severe complications, including chronic pain, organ damage, and reduced life expectancy. While advancements in treatment have improved survival rates, a cure has remained elusive until now.
Bone marrow transplant offers a potential cure for sickle cell disease by replacing damaged bone marrow with healthy cells from a donor. However, the procedure is complex and expensive, limiting its accessibility to many patients. LUTH and SCFN, has worked for several years to establish a high-quality, safe bone marrow transplant.
The establishment of comprehensive care programmes, including newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, and Transcranial Doppler screening in children to identify those at risk of stroke, followed by using chronic blood transfusion therapy and the increasing use of hydroxyurea therapy, has improved the proportion of children surviving into adulthood but has not improved the proportion of adults living to older age, especially for the most severely affected.
“Bone marrow transplant using a donor from a family member is an established cure for this disease, first used more than 30 years ago. Bone marrow transplant is associated with known complications such as infection and graft-versus-host disease (when donor cells can attack the patient), infertility, and even death.
“However, this procedure has been much improved over the last 20 years to ensure good outcomes
and limit complications. Bone marrow transplant is now an approved therapy for children and adults with severe sickle cell disease. Bone marrow transplant is a complex procedure requiring a multidisciplinary team approach and involves treatment and close follow-up for approximately 12 months. The complexity and costs have severely limited those who can obtain this treatment, and most have sought this treatment outside Nigeria, which causes severe hardship for patients and families, only to come home with no local expertise for follow-up.
The LUTH/SCFN bone marrow transplant programme is a multidisciplinary effort involving a team of experts in haematology, blood transfusion, stem cell processing, nursing, social work, and other related fields. The program has also benefited from the guidance and support of international experts.
Stressing that the successful launch of the programme was a testament to the dedication and collaboration of the LUTH and SCFN teams, as well as the support of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Lagos State Government, and other partners, they listed members of the team to include; Dr. Seye Akinsete (Team lead) and Drs. Ugonna Fakile, Olufunto Kalejaiye, Yusuf Adelabu, and Professor Edamisan Temiye (the Programme Manager), blood transfusion and stem cell processing lab support (Professor Titi Adeyemo and Dr. Ann Ogbenna), bone marrow-transplant nurses, dieticians, social workers, pharmacists, psychiatrists, anaesthesiologists, nurses at the KidsOR (theatre) and other ancillary personnel.
The program has been guided by the scientific expertise and leadership of Professor Adetola Kassim of Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, who joined the programme in 2018. To further strengthen their expertise in the programme, Prof Josu de la Fuente from the Imperial College London Healthcare NHS Trust UK joined the team in 2022 as a resource person and assisted with the paediatric aspects of the programme.
Transplant Nursing has been supported by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow
Transplantation (WBMT), which offers both in-person and virtual training at periodic intervals.
They duo also recognised the vision and invaluable role of Prof. Olu Akinyanju, Founder of SCFN, Former CMDs of LUTH, Prof Akin Osibogun, and Prof Chris Bode.
With this development, more, Nigerians with sickle cell disease will now have access to life-saving treatment and offers hope for a brighter future.
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