BAHRAIN is investigating the possibility of setting up a Stem Cell Centre to treat patients with diabetes, it emerged yesterday.

Health Ministry public relations director Adel Ali Abdulla said a team of experts from Hamburg, Germany, would arrive in Manama next Tuesday to conduct an initial study on the country's needs and suggest ways to set up the facility.

"There has been a plan at the ministry for several years and we have now decided to activate it," he told the GDN.

"The experts, who are from a well-known company specialising in stem cell research, will hold discussions with officials at the ministry, other stakeholders and Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) doctors who manage and treat patients with diabetes."

Mr Abdulla declined to name the company involved, saying it would only be revealed once a deal has been signed and the go-ahead for the survey given.