Considering a Stem Cell Treatment?

We have all heard about the extraordinary promise that stem cell research holds for the treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions. The research community has made huge strides forward in understanding stem cells and how to harness their potential. However, there is still a lot of work needed to take this research and turn it into safe and effective medical treatments.

Meanwhile, clinics around the world are advertising treatments using stem cells for a wide range of diseases. Our organization, the ISSCR, is concerned that many clinics and Web sites are offering treatments that are not supported by our understanding of how stem cells behave and are providing treatments without the safeguards in place that test safety or expected benefit.

Learn what underlies the development of a new medical treatment and why this is important for stem cell treatments. Here, we provide resources to help patients, their families and their care providers navigate the world of stem cell treatments and make informed decisions about their health and safety.

Get the facts: Top Ten Things to Know about Stem Cell Treatments—learn more about what is currently possible and what is not.
The Patient Handbook on Stem Cell Therapies—a take-along handbook with information to help patients and their families evaluate stem cell treatments they may be considering.
How Science Becomes Medicine—a description of the process that is required to develop a new medical treatment and the internationally-recognized checks that have been created to protect the rights and safety of patients.
What to Ask—questions to ask providers in order to learn about a treatment’s potential risks and benefits.
Submit a Clinic—you can submit for review the names of clinics. The ISSCR will ask the clinic to provide evidence that appropriate oversight and other patient protections are in place for the treatments they offer. The ISSCR will publish online whether these clinics provide the evidence requested.

Take a closer look.