A Doctor from Indonesian Army Enrolls to Doctorate Program in IPB, Discovers Stem Cell Which Can Substitute Permanent Pacemaker Therapy
In less than seven years, Indonesia will have a drug which can substitute the permanent pacemaker therapy. This treatment method was found by dr. Agus Harsoyo, SpJP(K), a student of Doctorate program, IPB University (IPB). This doctor and member of Indonesian Army who has attained the CKM colonel rank will conduct the Doctorate Promotion Thesis Defense in Thesis Defense Room, Postgraduate School, IPB Dramaga Campus, Bogor, Wednesday (13/03/2019).
With his study of which title “Differentiation and Identification of Cardiomyocyte and Heart Electric Cell Connexin from Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Bona Marrow of Macaca nemestria, dr. Agus Harsoyo found the mesenchymal stem cell which will substite the therapy on total atrioventriculary node electric current.
“Human organs’ functions will undergo degradation as the person ages, that also applies to electric initiation and current in heart. Besides age factor, we often find sudden infant dead cases because of a problem in the babies’ heart’s electric conduction because of genetic mutation in Connexin 40 and extracelluler Natrium ion channel,” he said.
Dr. Agus Harsoyo created specialized stem cell for cardiomyocyte and heart electric cell Connexin 40 and 43 in culture well. Using limited fund, dr. Agus Harsoyo conducted the pre-clinical study for treating total atrioventriculary nodes block using mesenchymal stem cell by using long-tailed monkeys and apes as the animal model to create the stem cells, electric blocks, and the treatment. In the fourth year of his study, dr. Agus Harsoyo will have a partnership with Heart and Vascular Center Hospital ‘Harapan Kita’ to implement this method to humans.
My research with that culture well has proven that in ape’s bone marrow aspirate there are Connexin 40 and 43 cells who act as the initiator and conductor of heart electricity. These Connexin cells are found in-vitro. In the future, this finding will replace standard therapy, which is more expensive. If our stake holder can mass-produce this mesenchymal stem cells, the medicine world and Indonesian people would get so much help. We want efficiency, even though we have private insurance, access to heart pacemaker therapy is still very expensive (reaching hundreds of millions rupiah) and may cause heart failure complications,” he explained.
The doctor who sub-specializes in heart and vascular (heart electricity expert) in Army Center Hospital (RSPAD) ‘Gatot Subroto’ decided to continue his study in IPB Postgraduate School, because of IPB’s primatology program has laboratories with international standard (AAALAC). In Indonesia there are only two internationally-certified laboratories, the ones in IPB Primates Study Center and PT. Kalbefarma.
“I intentionally conduct this study with limited fund because I want everyone to understand and the result of it can benefit all of Indonesians. We want to open the knowledge of medicine, especially in heart specialization with the sub-specialization of heart stent/ring, electricity, and pacemaker experts. With that being said, if there are someone in medicine program who is interested in molecular biology, IPB can be an option because of its internationally-recognized standards. We want anyone, of any nationality, to come if they want to study more about this,” he added. (Ard)
