Scientists Urge Stem Cell Reality Check
By Suzanne Bohan,
Alameda Times-Star
| 03. 20. 2008
HALF MOON BAY - In an elegant hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean, more than 30 of the world's leading stem cell researchers gathered on Wednesday to strategize on the most effective means of developing novel stem cell medical treatments, while keeping public expectations in line with the actual state of scientific research.
The oft-cited potential of stem cells to one day possibly curing devastating ailments such as Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries and diabetes is also luring desperate patients to try so-called stem cell therapies abroad, six stem cell researchers at a noon news conference emphasized.
This "medical tourism" is almost certain to lead to disappointment and even danger, warned Dr. George Daley, president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, which organized the daylong event at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.
"One has to be realistic. Cures take a very, very long time," Daley said. "One has to be very suspicious if a patient is asked to fly to a distant location and pay tens of thousands of dollars (for treatment). This is an invitation for exploitation."
These unproven treatments...
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