Disgraced stem-cell entrepreneur under fresh investigation
By Alison Abbott,
Nature News
| 11. 14. 2016
Davide Vannoni is barred from offering a controversial stem-cell therapy in Italy but may be continuing his work abroad.
Public prosecutors in Turin, Italy, are investigating whether disgraced stem-cell entrepreneur Davide Vannoni — convicted on criminal charges last year for administering unproven stem-cell therapies in Italy — is offering his treatments again, this time in eastern Europe.
In March 2015, Vannoni was convicted on charges of conspiracy and fraud related to his treatments, which had been declared dangerous by the Italian Health Authority (AIFA). His case was a cause célèbre among Italian scientists, who fought for many years to stop him administering stem cells to patients through his Stamina Foundation (see Nature 518, 455; 2015).
Vannoni was sentenced to 22 months in prison, but the sentence was suspended in a plea bargain drawn up by prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello, who said that the terms required Vannoni to refrain from organizing further therapies — either in Italy or abroad. Soon after the plea bargain, patient groups on social media posted comments that the stem-cell treatment was available once more, in Georgia. And in late October, a patient came...
Related Articles
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...
By Harry Hunter, PET BioNews | 08.11.2025
The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has announced plans to publish a POSTnote and called for submissions on surrogacy law in the UK and internationally.
The current UK surrogacy laws, largely based on legislation from the 1980s, have been...
By Cade Metz, The New York Times | 08.04.2025
Image by Mike MacKenzie / CC BY 2.0
In downtown Berkeley, an old hotel has become a temple to the pursuit of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity. Its name is Lighthaven.
Covering much of a city block, this...
By Keith Casebonne and Jodi Beckstine [with CGS' Katie Hasson], Disability Deep Dive | 07.24.2025
In this episode of Disability Deep Dive, hosts Keith and Jodi explore the complex interplay between disability science, technology, and ethics with guest Katie Hasson, Associate Director at the Center for Genetics and Society. The conversation delves into...
