FLICKR, JUHAN SONINAcross a broad spectrum of diseases and injuries, researchers are making significant progress in clinical trials for regenerative medicine. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies that enhance killer T-cell activation for tumor destruction are emerging as powerful tools for eradicating cancer. Neural stem cells are being used for recovery of function in patients with spinal injury, children with demyelinating diseases, and for those with certain eye diseases. There are emerging therapies to correct genetic blood diseases, such as sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, and a potential breakthrough on the horizon for treating HIV/AIDS—targeting the viral co-receptor CCR5 on blood stem cells.
But a group of malefactors is poised to hamper the promise of such therapies, by administering stem cell-based “cures” that are unregulated and unscientific. Patients eager to receive unapproved treatments they’ve seen advertised are often willing to travel to countries where private clinics will administer them, at high cost and without scientific evidence of benefit. Indeed, there have been numerous reports of damage to patients related to these treatments.
Regenerative medicine is complex. A single delivery of cells is rarely successful. Because such medical tourism is not strictly regulated, the cells administered may be of fetal origin, extracted from fat or blood, or simply conditioned medium from cell cultures. While delivery systems vary, it is concerning that foreign protein, cells, or cell extracts are today ...
