The Selling of Stem Cells

This November marks the 25th anniversary of the successful isolation and culture of human embryonic stem cells by Jamie Thompson.  This breakthrough was a turning point in biomedical research. This discovery provided scientists with a limitless source of human cells to understand human biology and model disease. The discovery also provided a novel pathway to develop tissues and cells that could potentially be used to provide curative diseases like diabetes and Parkinson’s, among others. To date, numerous companies are advancing human embryonic stem cell-based therapies in over 50 approved and regulated clinical trials.  However, in parallel to the legitimate, approved clinical trials, the great promise of this field has in a sense fostered a plague of rapid and continuous growth in the marketing of unregulated and unproven treatments, via direct-to-consumer clinics across the globe. These predatory clinics offer so-called stem cell therapies to treat myriad conditions with approaches not supported by rigorous scientific evidence. During the pandemic these treatments expanded to include COVID-19, including the use of what’s being advertised as exosome therapy.  GuestThe guest on today’s podcast is an expert on the stem cell marketplace of unproven treatments.  Leigh Turner is the Executive Director of the University of California Irvine Bioethics Program, and a Professor in the Program in Public Health’s Department of Health, Society, and Behavior. He is also a member of UCI’s Stem Cell Research Center.  His current research addresses ethical, legal, and social issues related to stem cells and regenerative medicine products. Dr. Turner served on the task force that developed the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation and is also a member of the ISSCR’s Ethics Committee. Dr. Turner and colleagues authored the recent paper in Stem Cell Reports entitled, Businesses Marketing Purported Stem Cell Treatments and Exosome Therapies for COVID-19: An Analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Online Advertising Claims.  HostMartin Pera, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports and The Jackson Laboratory@martinperaJAXAbout Stem Cell ReportsStem Cell Reports is the Open Access journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.Twitter: @StemCellReportsAbout ISSCRWith more than 4,800 members from 75+ countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.ISSCR StaffKeith Alm, Chief Executive OfficerYvonne Fisher, Managing Editor, Stem Cell ReportsKym Kilbourne, Director of Media and Strategic CommunicationsJack Mosher, Scientific AdvisorVoice WorkBen Snitkoff