Patients Beware: Commercialized Stem Cell TReatments on the web

PATRICK L. TAYLOR,; ROGER A. BARKER,; KARL G. BLUME,; ELENA CATTANEO,; ALAN COLMAN; HONGKUI DENG,; HAROLD EDGAR,; IRA FOX; CLAUDE GERSTLE; LAWRENCE S.B. GOLDSTEIN,; KATHERINE A. HIGH,; ANDREW LYALL,; ROBERTSON PARKMAN,; FERNANDO J. PITOSSI; ERNEST D. PRENTICE,; HEATHER M. ROOKE,; DOUGLAS SIPP; ALOK SRIVASTAVA,; SUSAN STAYN,; GARY K. STEINBERG,; AMY J. WAGERS,; IRVING WEISSMAN

CELL STEM CELL

CELL PRESS

Año: 2010 p. 43 - 49

1934-5909

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is concerned that stem cell treatments are being marketed to consumers around the world without safeguards in place to ensure the safety or likely effectiveness of experimental treatments or truthfulness of claims about so-called proven therapies. These practices could place individual patients at risk and also jeopardize the progress of legitimate stem cell clinical translation. The ISSCR seeks to alert patients and their caregivers to these potential concerns and to answer the numerous enquiries received from patients and their advocates about clinics that claim to offer stem cell therapies. The ISSCR Task Force on Unproven Stem Cell Treatments (hereafter the Task Force) was convened by the 2009–2010 President of the ISSCR, Dr. Irving Weissman, to formulate recommendations for the development of a web-based resource for patients, their advocates, clinicians, and associations in evaluating claims of benefit from advertised stem cell treatments. In particular, the Task Force was asked to propose a process for listing clinics or programs and whether they meet what the ISSCR deems to be minimum standards of assessing safety and efficacy and to define criteria to systematically evaluate clinics or programs for inclusion on such a list (Weissman, 2009). The members of the Task Force are listed in Table S1. Here, we summarize the discussion and recommendations of the Task Force for the development of a web-based resource that includes: (1) listing of individuals, clinics, or other entities offering asserted stem cell therapies and whether they provide information showing that appropriate safeguards are in place; (2) resources that explain fundamental scientific principles of stem cell biology and the implications for stem cell treatments and outline the widely accepted process of clinical translation; and (3) a list of questions patients and caregivers should ask purveyors to aid them in making treatment decisions.Weissman, 2009). The members of the Task Force are listed in Table S1. Here, we summarize the discussion and recommendations of the Task Force for the development of a web-based resource that includes: (1) listing of individuals, clinics, or other entities offering asserted stem cell therapies and whether they provide information showing that appropriate safeguards are in place; (2) resources that explain fundamental scientific principles of stem cell biology and the implications for stem cell treatments and outline the widely accepted process of clinical translation; and (3) a list of questions patients and caregivers should ask purveyors to aid them in making treatment decisions.). The members of the Task Force are listed in Table S1. Here, we summarize the discussion and recommendations of the Task Force for the development of a web-based resource that includes: (1) listing of individuals, clinics, or other entities offering asserted stem cell therapies and whether they provide information showing that appropriate safeguards are in place; (2) resources that explain fundamental scientific principles of stem cell biology and the implications for stem cell treatments and outline the widely accepted process of clinical translation; and (3) a list of questions patients and caregivers should ask purveyors to aid them in making treatment decisions.