HLI's Stem Cell Tourism & Public Education study accepted by prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell

Katherine Thompson - 4 September 2014

(l-r) Prof. Timothy Caulfield, and Dr. Zubin Master

The University of Alberta Faculty of Law would like to congratulate the members of the HomeHealth Law Institute (HLI) on their co-authored paper entitled "Stem Cell Tourism and Public Education: the missing elements" being accepted by the prestigious journal Cell Stem Cell. The study looks at how organizations cover the topic of stem cell tourism. The authors of this paper include the Health Law Institute's Zubin Master, Kelsey Robertson, and Professor Timothy Caulfield, alongside Daniel Frederick (University of Albany, State University of New York), and Christen Rachul (Carleton University, Ottawa) and former HLI alumnus.

As the paper states, stem cell tourism describes the internet-based industry where patients receive unproven stem cell interventions. To better inform the public, several organizations provide educational material on stem cell therapies and tourism, however an assessment of the currently available resources reveals a lack of comprehensive information suggesting that further efforts are needed.

"The phenomenon of stem cell tourism continues to be a major policy issue," says Professor Caulfield. "People are being exploited. But despite efforts to curb the marketing of unproven therapies, which has the potential to cause real harm, this industry seems to be growing. While the provision of accurate information won't, on its own, stop patients from using unproven therapies, it may help them make more informed choices."

Coauthor Dr. Zubin Master, now at Albany Medical College in New York, adds that "while many remain skeptical on the effectiveness of education at deterring patients from seeking unproven stem cell interventions, there remains no study that shows whether education on stem cell tourism actually changes patients' minds." "And, over the long term, education about stem cell tourism may slow the industry," adds Professor Caulfield.

"We hope our study will help inform policy makers, health professionals and, even, the public about the information gaps that currently exist," concludes Professor Timothy Caulfield.

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