John R. Hoffman is a Professor of Biology, public speaker and a scientist examining the recovery of the nervous system after injury. Since 2006 he has written several unpublished manuscripts and he is currently working on the first Nathaniel Smythe novel and short story collection. He spends his spare time with his family and running.

25 Stem Cell Therapy

Objectives

By the end of this lecture, the student will be able to:

  1. Describe how stem cells are currently used for the treatment of veterinary disorders.
  2. Describe the use of stem cell treatments in the United States and abroad.

Stem Cell Therapy

This lecture examines the current options for stem cell therapy for pets and humans in the United States.The handout for this presentation can be downloaded and printed.

Readings:

Regenerative Medicine. (2006). Department of Health and Human Services.
Chapter 3: Repairing the Nervous System with Stem Cells
Chapter 6: Mending a Broken Heart: Stem cells and cardiac repair.
Chapter 7: Are Stem cells the next frontier for diabetes treatment?

Assignment: Waiting to Die?

The process for determining if a new medical treatment is safe and effective often takes many years. Patients with terminal or degenerative conditions are unlikely to survive until the treatments become approved and available. Increasing numbers of patients with the financial resources travel to locations outside of the United States to seek out promising, but uncertain procedures.  Patients that return to the United States are ineligible for future approved clinical studies and are potentially at risk for complications that physicians are unaware of.  The FDA allows for limited emergency or “compassionate use” of unapproved treatments but this exemption is tightly restricted. In addition, while registering for a clinical trial will contribute to a better understanding of the treatment, but the patient may be in a control group that does not receive the stem cells.

In your discussion group:  Should patients be allowed to make individual decisions to undergo unapproved stem cell treatments in the United States?

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