Stem Cell Therapy and Medical Tourism

Of Promise and Peril?
Experimental breakthroughs within the field of regenerative medicine are reported in the media on a daily basis worldwide. Despite this progress, the overwhelming majority of clinical problems for which stem cell-based intervention offers hope remain therapeutically unproven, and a major gap exists between current public understanding and the availability of innovative therapies.
This event featured a distinguished panel of speakers addressing various aspects of medical tourism for stem cell therapy. Presentations covered the state of stem cell science, historical context and comparisons related to earlier instances of medical utopianism, empirical data on the nature of stem cell tourism, how to address patient hopes in the realm of unproven therapies, and special issues related to stem cell tourism by parents for their children.
The event was moderated by M. William Lensch, Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Speakers and topics included:
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.