Opinion: Stem cell clinics for heart failure: buyer be wary
Patients are turning to so-called stem cell clinics that offer treatments that will supposedly reverse heart failure. They can't be sure what they are getting.
We are witnessing great promise in medicine today. The vocabulary dazzles: “precision medicine,” “stem cells,” “moon shot,” and other terms that hint at exciting new possibilities. But it is also a time of great vulnerability for patients.
I’m particularly worried about stem cells or, more precisely, stem cell therapies. In theory, stem cells could help treat — or even cure — conditions ranging from cancer to heart failure. As a cardiologist, I’m especially interested in their application to the latter condition. Even though the hype far exceeds the evidence, patients are already turning to so-called stem cell clinics that claim to reverse heart failure.
So-called “pluripotential” stem cells have the ability to develop
