Korean scientist Dr. Ra: Stem cells will be the mainstream of medicine worldwide

Great attention should be accorded to herbal medicine, Dr, Ra says

Dr Ra addressing the virtual AJA roundtable f journalists from 12 countries

SEOUL: Korea’s most prominent Stem Cell researcher has emphasized that close global cooperation, more normal diet, and closeness to nature were essential to boost chances to beat coronavirus and other viruses.

In a virtual roundtable with members of the Asia Journalists Association (AJA) today with the famous Korean scientists and also the chief executive officer of Naturecell, Dr. Jeong-Chan Ra said that the Asian people have been able to protect themselves much better than other nations by complying with the precautionary measures of wearing facemasks, regularly washing their hands and keeping distances.

People who have free contact with others have caused the spread of CIVID-19 and the second wave of the crisis, he cautioned.

“We in Asia are better prepared to protect ourselves from COVID-19,” he said.

“Stem cells in our bodies have the function of anti-virus.”

Dr. Ra and his team have been working on a clinical trial to treat the severe COVID-19 cases relying on mechanical ventilators with stem cell therapy.

In March, he and his team requested permission from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for clinical trials phase 1/2A to treat the serious COVID-19 cases by administering ‘Astrostem-V,’ an autologous stem cell drug intravenously.

The clinical trials are targeting aggravated COVID-19 patients with ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). The patients will be administered Astrostem-V, an autologous adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cell drug, two times in total with a one-week interval. Each infusion will include 200 million cells. Safety and efficacy will be assessed four weeks and eight weeks after the injections.

A screen shot of the virtual roundtable with Dr. Ra (Picture: Ashraf)

Dr. Ra said he had deep belief in the use of stem cells as a safe way to cure people, adding that trials are being conducted in Korea and in the U.S.

“Maybe for clinical trials and further studies, I will contact Asian countries for collaboration,” he told the online roundtable journalists.

He stressed that he lived by the principle of respecting God and loving neighbors are also crucial in achieving a safer way of life.

When we consider all people across the world as our neighbors, we build closer cooperation that helps us all keep safe, he said.

Being close to nature and to natural medicine is also an important factor, he added.

Dr. Ra said that he was looking forward to publishing more books in more languages in order to reach out to the widest number of readers.

“In the future stem cell will be the mainstream of medicine worldwide, and if we have a good understanding of stem cells, we can protect our bodies.”

The Korean scientist emphasized the significance of nature as a provider of “very good herbal medicine” that Asian countries should use to produce natural medicine for several illnesses.

He also stressed the need to consolidate the Asian way of life in avoiding contamination and protecting people.

Journalists from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Egypt interacted actively with Dr. Ra as he gave a thorough presentation and answered their queries and shared his rich experience that spans more than 20 years in the treatment development for dementia and arthritis by stem cells.

His book “The Grace of Stem Cells” has achieved worldwide fame and has been in many languages, including English, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.

Ashraf Aboul Yazid and a TV presenter Marwa Al Sayed showing off copies in Arabic and English of Dr. Ra’s book ahead of a TV talk show last year in Egypt (Picture: Ashraf)

Dr. Ra thanked all journalists for the interview and interactions, and he shared with them his pleasant memories of his trip to Cairo for the launch of his book in Arabic thanks to the special efforts by AJA President Ashraf Dali who by translating it made it accessible to Arabic readers.

The Korean scientist said that he was willing to answer further questions as developments unfold, expressing special keenness on remaining close to the AJA team.