«Russia sees 'stem cell therapy' craze», My Sun Antonio, март 2008
Russia sees 'stem cell therapy' craze
MOSCOW — When Svetlana Galiyeva found a clinic offering to treat her multiple sclerosis with embryonic stem cells, she grabbed the opportunity. Twenty-thousand dollars later she still is in a wheelchair and desperate.
And there is no proof her injections had anything to do with stem cells.
While scientists worldwide are studying stem cells, dozens of Russian clinics and beauty salons claim they already are using both adult and embryonic stem cells to treat everything from wrinkles to Parkinson's disease to impotence.
Scientists warn that while stem cells still are being researched in laboratories, treatment by clinics claiming to use stem cells may cost patients their health and fortunes.
Moreover, they say, even though it's illegal, enforcement is lax and no one knows if the injections patients are getting contain stem cells.
Stem cells are the building blocks of the human body — immature cells that can grow into bone, muscle and other tissues.
They are plentiful in the embryo and fetus and are believed to be more versatile than stem cells from adult bone marrow and fat. But embryonic stem cells are controversial because they involve destruction of human embryos.
In leading clinics around the world, most stem cell research is limited to the lab dish and animals. In Russia, however, it's a different story.
Hundreds of patients are rushing to Russian clinics and beauty salons that claim to offer embryonic stem cell therapy for a range of diseases as well as cosmetic therapy.
But experts say the procedure carries potentially dangerous side effects.
"No one has been given any licenses for injecting (stem cells) — these are only experiments. This is all being done at their own risk. This is all illegal," said Vladimir Smirnov, director of the Institute of Experimental Cardiology, who runs an adult stem cell bank.
Scientists say cultivating and isolating stem cells requires skill and expensive equipment which the clinics do not necessarily have. Therefore, what is claimed to be stem cells may be anything from a fetal tissue extract to skin cells. Some clinics reportedly use animal stem cells.
Dr. Alexander Teplyashin, head of Beauty Plaza, says he has used adult stem cells from patients' or donors' fat and bone marrow to treat diabetes, vision disorders and other diseases. He acknowledges what he's doing technically is not permitted.
"We are taking advantage of the loopholes in the law ... what is not forbidden is allowed," he said.
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