Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/growing-global-infodemic-around-stem-210413635.html
Axios
The growing global "infodemic" around stem cell therapies
Eileen Drage O'Reilly
Thu, June 24, 2021, 5:04 PM·4 min read
An industry centered around unproven stem cell therapies is flourishing due to misinformation.
Why it matters: Stem cells offer a tantalizing potential to address a large number of diseases, like Parkinson's, ALS, cancers and bodily injuries. But only a small number of therapies have been found safe and effective through clinical trials, while misinformation continues to proliferate.
Not only are people sometimes losing tens of thousands of dollars for unproven therapies, but some have reported suffering permanent damage like blindness, pulmonary embolism or tumor growth, says Leigh Turner, associate professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Bioethics.
Using unproven therapies may also exclude people from clinical trials, causing them to lose that potential treatment option, as well as damaging scientific discoveries by limiting trial participants, Turner adds.
The latest: The Pew Charitable Trusts issued a brief in early June that describes a rising number of reported adverse events.
There are more than 700 U.S. clinics offering unapproved stem cell and regenerative medicine interventions for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, autism, spinal cord injuries, and even COVID-19, Pew reports...
Axios
The growing global "infodemic" around stem cell therapies
Eileen Drage O'Reilly
Thu, June 24, 2021, 5:04 PM·4 min read
An industry centered around unproven stem cell therapies is flourishing due to misinformation.
Why it matters: Stem cells offer a tantalizing potential to address a large number of diseases, like Parkinson's, ALS, cancers and bodily injuries. But only a small number of therapies have been found safe and effective through clinical trials, while misinformation continues to proliferate.
Not only are people sometimes losing tens of thousands of dollars for unproven therapies, but some have reported suffering permanent damage like blindness, pulmonary embolism or tumor growth, says Leigh Turner, associate professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Bioethics.
Using unproven therapies may also exclude people from clinical trials, causing them to lose that potential treatment option, as well as damaging scientific discoveries by limiting trial participants, Turner adds.
The latest: The Pew Charitable Trusts issued a brief in early June that describes a rising number of reported adverse events.
There are more than 700 U.S. clinics offering unapproved stem cell and regenerative medicine interventions for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, autism, spinal cord injuries, and even COVID-19, Pew reports...