DUSHANBE, March 11, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Two stern cell transplantation operations have been performed in Tajikistan for the first time.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), the operations were performed at the Republican Center for Cardiovascular Surgery in Dushanbe on March 9.  The stern cell transplantations were performed for two men.  15 skilled surgeons performed the operations, the source said.

“The operations were successful and the patients are now in normal condition,” said the source, “However, the operation results will become known at least in three months.”  He added that the surgeons planned to perform ten such operations free of charge.

Stem cell transplantation is a medical procedure in the fields of hematology and oncology, most often performed for people with diseases of the blood, bone marrow, or certain types of cancer.

Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s.  The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are: embryonic stem cells that are isolated from the inner cell mass of blasttocysts, and adult stem cells that are found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.