Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 26 June 2009:
Vol. 324. no. 5935, pp. 1664 - 1665
DOI: 10.1126/science.1171749
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Perspective

Medical Innovation Versus Stem Cell Tourism

Olle Lindvall1 and Insoo Hyun2,*

Stem cell tourism is criticized on grounds of consumer fraud, blatant lack of scientific justification, and patient safety. However, the issues are complex because they invoke questions concerning the limits of acceptable medical innovation and medical travel. Here we discuss these issues and articulate conditions under which "unproven" therapies may be offered to patients outside of regular clinical trials.

1 Laboratory of Neurogenesis and Cell Therapy, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, and Lund Stem Cell Center, University Hospital, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
2 Department of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106–4976, USA.

* E-mail: olle.lindvall{at}med.lu.se; insoo.hyun{at}case.edu

Read the Full Text

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)