The newly-approved project is one of a number of stem cell clinical experiments being conducted by Bionet Corp. -- a Taiwan-based biotech company -- and sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Following the mesenchymal stem cell transplant tests, another five projects will be conducted at several other domestic hospitals.

Wu Kang-hsi -- a CMUH physician who will supervise the testing -- said that the project will determine if mesenchymal stem cells can help transplanted umbilical blood stem cells better cure diseases related to the malfunctioning of hematopoietic stem cells, such as leukemia and thalassemia.

Mesenchymal stem cells are a type of multipotent stem cell that can differentiate into various cells, including pancreatic islets cells and neuronal cells.

Unlike most other human adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells can be obtained in quantities needed for clinical applications. They can be maintained for long periods of time without losing their capacity to form different cell types.

Wu explained that although umbilical blood stem cells have proved effective in repairing tissue and treating blood-related diseases, their efficiency is sometimes limited because only a small amount of the cells can be collected from umbilical blood, and the cells tend to reproduce at slow rates after transplant operations.

"Some past experiments on animals suggested that when assisted by additional mesenchymal stem cells, the umbilical blood stem cells may be able to work twice as fast," Wu said. "For this project, we aim to determine whether the results are the same for humans."

According to Wu, the project at CMUH will last for one year and include tests on at least 10 volunteers.