Monday, April 06, 2020

debunking stem cell cures

Against coronavirus like against any other kind of medical problem, there are people out there trying to sell you a stem cell cure. Sadly, most of them are on the spectrum from unproven to utter nonsense. In reality, there are only very few proven stem-cell based treatments.

It's been a while since I last covered stem cells, in part I presume, because the progress we've been hoping for since the 00s hasn't materialised quite as fast as expected. This delay between hopes and realisations has in fact helped to the vendors of dubious cures. In my latest feature I revisited the field to do a reality check.

Reality check for stem cell cures

Current Biology Volume 30, Issue 7, 06 April 2020, Pages R287-R289

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Pigs are similar to humans in many ways to the extent that growing human organs in a pig host is a realistic avenue currently under investigation, although many challenges remain. (Image: Kenneth Schipper Vera.)

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