KUWAIT CITY, Feb 20, (KUNA):  Kuwait University and Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) have signed a research cooperation agreement to create a register for the donors of stem cells and placenta through a relevant research project.

The deal was inked by KFAS Director-General Adnan Shihab-Elddin and Deputy Director of Kuwait University for Research Hassan Al-Sanad.

Shihab-Eldin commended the research project, supervised by Dr Salem Al-Shemeri, as part of a plan purposed to provide priority services in the health sector in the State of Kuwait.

He said several malignant and non-malignant blood diseases could be treated by using stem cells, but he complained that the main obstacle to this medical procedure is the lack of donors.

For his part, Al-Sanad spoke highly of existing cooperation between the Kuwait University and the KFAS in the field of scientific research.

He hoped that the research project would be a first step towards the creation of a national register for stem cells in Kuwait, thus contributing to finding practical solutions to treat several diseases.

He noted that his university seeks to find a congenial atmosphere for revamping the level of scientific research in the country by means of propping up institutional capabilities and establishing a base of distinguished researchers and specialists.