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Closing the season for stem cell tourism
DOI: 10.1038/embor.2011.156
Effective measures for how scientists can discourage a “stem cell tourism” industry that sells false promises of miracle cures to patients is outlined in a report published online this week in EMBO reports.
Stem cell research is making considerable advances, but only a few stem cell based therapies have so far been approved for clinical use. However, this has not stopped unscrupulous individuals from exploiting patients’ desperation by advertising questionable clinical procedures. Often charging upward of US$ 20,000, they offer stem cell treatments that are unproven in clinical trials, are not approved by relevant authorities, and can be dangerous. Many of these stem cell clinics have sprung up in countries with lax regulation and oversight, which makes it difficult to stop stem cell tourism legally.
David B. Resnik and Zubin Master argue that stem cell researchers have the responsibility and means to help to prevent the exploitation of patients and health care systems since the clinics and physicians who offer such therapies need to obtain stem cells and other materials from basic researchers. The authors propose that by checking the CV and background of researchers and physicians who ask for stem cell lines and by requiring Material Transfer Agreements, responsible scientists could curb the abuse of stem cell research.
Author contacts:
Zubin Master (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada)
Tel: +1 780 250 4564; E-mail: [email protected]
David B. Resnik (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA)
Tel: +1 919 541 5658; E-mail: [email protected]
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