Researchers Warn of Dangers Associated with Fake, Untested Stem Cell Research

Medical researchers are concerned that people are falling for counterfeit stem cell treatments despite the fact that these 'therapies' have not yet been proven and many may even be downright dangerous, The Irish Times reports.

Majority of stem cell treatments are suffering from incurable degenerative diseases, who are ready to do anything for a cure. These fake stem cell treatment manufacturers prey on this desire and extort thousands in return for bogus therapies. Dr. Massimo Dominici, president elect of the International Society for Cellular Therapy issued a strong warning at the British Science  Festival  regarding these stem cell research traps set for people with incurable or degenerative diseases.  Dr. Dominici said patients have to pay hefty amounts of more than 100,000 euros ($132,000) for such "therapies" which include serious brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Stem cells have the potential to transform itself into any kind of cell which means they could repair damaged cells. However, current researchers say they are still years away from turning this into a reality. In the interim, stem cell fraud treatments have been set up by such con men who falsely advertise they can cure people with their "therapies."

One of the popular misconceptions advertised by such con men, are fake therapies which use mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of problems like osteoarthritis and bone diseases, which is far from reality at present. The process of treatment with mesenchymal stem cells has not yet been completed by scientists.

In order to aid would-be-consumers, the International Society for Cellular Therapy has published a Patient Advisory for Stem Cell Therapy and Medical Tourism. The report was penned by societies committed to advancing cell and gene therapy and is intended to outline 'best practices' to assist patients and their families when making decisions about health care. The paper is intended to better educate patients who are considering such stem cell therapies on what has been proven and what is still being tested.