Inside STAT: Canada case highlights the long-term risks of turning to experimental stem cell therapies

NEURONS (RED) AND ASTROCYTES (GREEN) DERIVED FROM HUMAN NEURAL STEM CELLS GROWING IN CULTURE. (STEVEN POLLARD/WELLCOME)

Unproven stem cell treatments are regularly being touted by unregulated clinics. And even though the FDA is trying to crack down on such places, many people have already opted for such care, and some have suffered serious injury. Take the case of a 38-year-old man who suffered a spinal injury at the age of 20, and chose — after some conventional therapy still left him paralyzed — to undergo stem cell transplantation in Portugal. A new report outlines how that man now has a tumor on his spinal cord, and the tumor cells match those that were transplanted into him nearly two decades ago. The case highlights a growing concern about unapproved stem cell treatments: More than providing little benefit, they could end up doing a lot of harm. STAT’s Brittany Flaherty has more.