Consider risks of unapproved stem cell treatment – Kamloops This Week

Editor:

Re: (Stem cells to stem the wait? June 27):

There is a reason Health Canada has not approved certain stem-cell treatments: they have not been shown to work yet and even ones own minimally manipulated cells can be considered risky.

There is a great deal of research happening in Canada and globally and clinical trials are underway to test and improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of stem-cell therapies because scientists and industry believe they hold great promise.

As the KTW article noted, the federal government committed $20 million to the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine in 2016, but it wasnt to establish a stem-cell therapy development facility in Toronto. Rather, the funding is to find better ways of manufacturing therapeutic cells, including stem cells, in the billions that are required for clinical use.

Not all stem cells are the same and it is crucial to ensure the purity of stem cells before they are injected into people.

There is a lot of support for stem-cell research and manufacturing in Canada and, if the public is patient, treatments will come.

For now, people seeking unapproved treatments should consider the risks (because they exist in the short-term and long-term) and be prepared to throw away their money if the treatment doesnt work.

Stacey Johnsondirector of communications and marketingCentre for Commercialization of Regenerative MedicineToronto

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Consider risks of unapproved stem cell treatment - Kamloops This Week