FDA wins against stem cell "clinic"
 

Stem cells show a lot of promise and legitimate research is ongoing. However there are scams which target vulnerable patients. People with chronic illnesses or those where there is no known effective therapy are especially good targets for those selling snake oil.
The FDA has won a case against such a company which was using patient derived stem cells to "treat" eye diseases. They did this with absolutely no clinical evidence and despite and FDA warning to cease which the company ignored claiming the FDA had no right to regulate what they were doing.


The link includes this paragraph:


This court decision came too late for the several patients blinded by this stem cell clinic

I should have noted that the company is

U S Stem Cell Clinic

And they have an office here in the Villages.

How awful for the patients and their loved ones! Thank you for this information.

Thanks for the informative heads up! :thumbup:


When I saw this in your link, I had to read it three times...to make sure I had read it correctly. :oops:

:22yikes:

I'm not understanding why it's significant that the school offers 3-year PhD programs. She already had her Masters degree. The 8+ years includes the first 4 years for a B.S., then the MS, then the PhD. The PhD part of the process is typically 3-4 years.

The fact that it's an offshore virtual college seems more significant. I just don't think the time it took to get ANY PhD following her already-existing Masters in cellular engineering, should be used as a "see, that's proof right there" argument. Poor journalism, in other words.

Methinks you're missing the main point...which isn't the length of time for the degree. :oops:

That it's unaccredited, completely virtual, offshore and so dirt cheap...are the "significant" parts.

But hey, their site looks totally legit and high-quality...so what the heck. :1rotfl:


Panama College of Cell Science – 3 Year Online PhD Degree in Stem Cell Biology

I read their entire web site. Not impressed at all.

Read the original link more closely. Her masters degree was NOT in cellular engineering, whatever that may be. It was in chemical engineering. She was not even in a life science field.

And if you really think her PhD is legit.. here is a bit more about one of the four teachers at her PhD school information for you.

I think you can go to the Cayman Islands or to China and get stem cell injections to treat almost any disease. I know a couple who took their 4 year old child with multiple disabilities to China twice and paid over $25,000 for each visit. I don't think they got any positive results, but they were planning another visit. I don't recommend this treatment approach.

Medical
 

Comments are my opinion complete with how I got there.

In my business frankly, if I made a mistake, I most it cost a customer a few bucks and I either corrected the problem or ate the financial loss.

Enter a doctor. He/she/ it holds your life, your health, your quality of life in their hands. Among other things the patient may well have other issues, may not be honest with the doctor or even with themselves. On top of that there profession is not even titled medical science it is medical arts. Essentially a current opinion often another wrinkle is what insurance will pay for likely normal tested but not the latest. For that matter, while we do not dare to think that way it is gambling chance of success vs chance of harm.

We all choose a doctor because, he/she/it takes your insurance.
Your friend on Talk of the Villages likes him/she/it and you like their personality. Are they the best? Also, interesting and frustrating.

Old story and not in Florida. A friend was told his mom needed a coronary bypass. He went to the place that advertised they have the highest survival rate. Wow best batting average.
It meant NOTHING. They refused to do her surgery due to a common preexisting condition. Hey, if you only get the best patients your success rate will be the best. She had the surgery done at a famous state hospital and was fine.

Even malpractice cases. A doctor gets sued. He is advised not to fight it. Reason is if they look hard enough they can find something or spin something. If, he settles part of the settlement is the case is sealed. You might be seeing you favorite health provider for a splinter and they might have been sued for exactly the same issue.

My point, we are all gambling with our healthcare. Far as OP and stem cells. Surely a second opinion or even a third is a smart idea.

Chemical Engineering degrees are generally pretty demanding and getting a Masters from Ohio State is impressive. It appears that she started a PhD program at Florida International but did not finish there for some reason? What should be a bigger concern for prospective patients is the fact she is treating patients without a medical degree. The FDA has been working to regulate stem cell clinics for some time and it would certainly seem that US Stem Cell gave them ample opportunity to do so.

I would absolutely agree that cellular therapy holds a lot of promise in a variety of disease states but I would never advocate treatment that was not clinically proven or at least part of a legitmate clinical study.