from New England Journal of Medicine
Several months ago, we talked about concern from health professionals about unproven stem cell therapy. Now a study in New England Journal of Medicine addresses that concern with specific cases of harm. Three people with macular degeneration were blinded after undergoing an unproven stem cell treatment at a clinic in Florida. Co-author of the paper, Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, of Stanford University School of Medicine says this is a call to awareness for patients, doctors and regulatory agencies about the risks of minimally regulated research. Patients mentioned in the article each paid five thousand dollars for the procedure, but Dr. Goldberg says any clinical trial that has a fee should raise a red flag. He says he is not aware of any legitimate research that is paid for by the patient.