Announcement of New Therapy Programs made at Third Anniversary Celebrations of The City Hospital

The City Hospital, owned and operated by EHL Management Services, marked its Third Anniversary with a ceremony attended by Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The hospital marked the occasion with the announcement of two new services, in partnership with Prima BioMed, which will reform the treatment of ovarian cancer and blood-related disorders in the UAE.

The CVac™ therapy program is new to the Middle East and will be available for the first time at The City Hospital. Cvac uses the patient’s own immune cells that are collected in the hospital and prepares them to attack a cancer protein called mucin 1. Mucin 1 is expressed on ovarian cancer cells as well as numerous other cancer types. When the treated patient cells are injected back into the body, they start a chain reaction that results in the body’s own immune killer cells targeting and killing the cancer mucin 1-expressing cells and tissue. This treatment will bring forward the fight against a disease which is the fifth largest cause of cancer deaths among women globally and which kills seven out of 10 sufferers in less than five years. Dr. Fadi Mikhael , who will lead the program at The City Hospital said: “The approval for the provision of CVac™ by The City Hospital, in partnership with Prima Biomed, is a huge milestone for cancer care not only in Dubai but the region as a whole. This treatment offers hope to thousands of women living in the Middle East who are suffering from ovarian cancer. We hope in time to be able to extend the application of CVac™ to other mucin-1 positive tumours – and treat other types of cancer.”

The City Hospital also announced the launch of its Therapeutic Apheresis Unit, in conjunction with Prima Biomed. Therapeutic apheresis is a general term for treatments that remove harmful proteins, chemicals or cells in the blood that contribute to disease. Similar to the apheresis blood donation process, an automated machine separates blood components, isolates the targeted substance and returns the remaining components to the patient. This is the first time this service has been offered in Dubai. Dr. Musa Mbahi, Specialist Anatomical and Clinical Pathologist and Fellow of Blood Banking and Transfusion from the renowned MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the USA will lead the unit. He commented: “Therapeutic Apheresis can radically transform the lives of people suffering from blood disorders, kidney problems, metabolic diseases, neurological disorders and autoimmune conditions. Now, for the first time in Dubai, patients can benefit from effects of this treatment and I am proud to be leading the unit at The City Hospital.”

At The City Hospital, 47 different nationalities work together as a team to provide world class healthcare to patients from more than 100 countries. Since opening three years ago as the first hospital in Dubai Healthcare City, The City Hospital has already achieved three international accreditations: the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI); the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and ISO certifications. This means that The City Hospital’s patients can be assured that the hospital complies with the highest international standards. In addition, it has recently celebrated the treatment of its 100,000th patient and delivered more than 3,600 in the maternity unit.