Caulfield, meanwhile, said there is a real anger among patients who wrongly believe the technology exists to cure them but isn’t being made available.
The rise of stem-cell tourism by celebrities such as Howe, as well as by the not-so-famous who are desperate for a cure, can put people in danger from unsafe treatments, say some Canadian researchers. It can also drain bank accounts, raise unrealistic expectations and even undermine the potential of stem cells to one day treat everything from immune diseases and cancer to heart attacks.
The trend comes at a time when a coalition is calling for a 10-year action plan on stem cells, with the goal of making Canada a leader in the technology. James Price, chief executive of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, said Canada must do more to help get experimental therapies translated to clinical treatment.
Stem cells can turn into specialized cells and can divide to produce more stem cells. They can be harvested from bone marrow, blood and some types of tissue. They have long been used in treatment of blood diseases such as leukemia. Experimental therapies are testing them to help rebuild everything from damaged cells to immune systems.
Howe, who suffered a devastating stroke last fall, was flown just before Christmas to Mexico, where he received experimental stem-cell treatment. In the days following, members of his family described his progress as miraculous.
Dr. Duncan Stewart, chief executive and scientific director of the regenerative medicine program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, is conducting research using genetically enhanced stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. It is related to the kind of experimental treatment Howe received in Mexico, technology that Stewart says is in its infancy.
He said it would be wonderful if the treatment produced the kind of results Howe reportedly had, “but one wouldn’t expect that kind of benefit.”
The technology has huge potential, he said, but it will take a long period of refinement and testing to get to that point.
“We are not there yet. It is going to take many years.”
more
Gordie Howe, stem-cell tourist: Experts warn of worrisome trend (with video) | Ottawa Citizen
The rise of stem-cell tourism by celebrities such as Howe, as well as by the not-so-famous who are desperate for a cure, can put people in danger from unsafe treatments, say some Canadian researchers. It can also drain bank accounts, raise unrealistic expectations and even undermine the potential of stem cells to one day treat everything from immune diseases and cancer to heart attacks.
The trend comes at a time when a coalition is calling for a 10-year action plan on stem cells, with the goal of making Canada a leader in the technology. James Price, chief executive of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, said Canada must do more to help get experimental therapies translated to clinical treatment.
Stem cells can turn into specialized cells and can divide to produce more stem cells. They can be harvested from bone marrow, blood and some types of tissue. They have long been used in treatment of blood diseases such as leukemia. Experimental therapies are testing them to help rebuild everything from damaged cells to immune systems.
Howe, who suffered a devastating stroke last fall, was flown just before Christmas to Mexico, where he received experimental stem-cell treatment. In the days following, members of his family described his progress as miraculous.
Dr. Duncan Stewart, chief executive and scientific director of the regenerative medicine program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, is conducting research using genetically enhanced stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. It is related to the kind of experimental treatment Howe received in Mexico, technology that Stewart says is in its infancy.
He said it would be wonderful if the treatment produced the kind of results Howe reportedly had, “but one wouldn’t expect that kind of benefit.”
The technology has huge potential, he said, but it will take a long period of refinement and testing to get to that point.
“We are not there yet. It is going to take many years.”
more
Gordie Howe, stem-cell tourist: Experts warn of worrisome trend (with video) | Ottawa Citizen