Experts say costly treatments do not work and prey on desperate

Despite widely-publicised success stories of “miracle” cures, there is no reliable evidence that any of the costly treatments work, said the scientists.

Several hundred private clinics have sprung up around the world claiming to have turned the dream of stem cell cures into reality.

The centres offer treatments for conditions as varied as spinal cord injury, heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, autism and eye disorders.

Thousands of patients globally are believed to have had the therapies, which may cost in the region of 20,000 or more.

A group of researchers spoke out about their concerns over “stem cell tourism” today after being flooded with inquiries from patients.

They admitted to fighting a losing battle as patients and families have their hopes raised by what they read in the media and online.

Prof Peter Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness at University College London, said: “I’ve literally pulled my hair out and made some very strong comments which could potentially land me in court, but people still go to these clinics.”

Stem cells are immature cells from embryos, foetuses or adults that have the ability to transform into different kinds of tissue.

They hold out the promise of potentially curative treatments for a host of conditions and diseases.

However, rigorous testing of the therapies in clinical trials is still in its infancy.

Scientists believe it could be 15 to 20 years before trustworthy treatments are widely available, yet a large number of clinics claim to be offering them already.

Two of the biggest are the XCell Centre in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Beike Biotechnology, which has a large scale facility in Shenzhen, China. Currently, there are no stem cell clinics in the UK.

Treatments consist of injecting stem cells into the spinal cord, the blood circulation, or directly into affected tissues.

Prof Coffey said a newspaper story about the “miracle” stem cell treatment of Dakota Clarke, a British two-year old girl who was born blind with an optic nerve disease, struck a chord with his patients who contacted him for advice.

It was reported in the Daily Telegraph last year that Dakota could see objects and people for the first time after the treatment provided by the Beike clinic.

But Prof Coffey told his patients not to consider a therapy that was not backed up by sound clinical evidence.

“The surprising response from a number of families was disgust that I could even speak out against it,” he said.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and development at the charity Parkinson’s UK, recalled similar experiences. He said: “I get contacted every day. It’s in the media all the time and it’s raising people’s hopes.

“Unfortunately I have to say that none of this works. I’m seen as the bad guy, but I’m trying to bring a bit of reality to the situation.”

Prof Robert McLaren, a consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said there was “categorically” no evidence that any stem cell therapy could effectively treat retinal or optic nerve conditions.

He added: “We are unfortunately dealing with patients who are completely desperate and willing to try anything possible.

“We need to try to steer them a little towards the reality that these treatments have no proven benefits and may actually be detrimental.”

The experts pointed out that receiving one of the unproven treatments would disqualify patients from taking part in later clinical trials, and could invalidate their health insurance.

New EU regulations next year will tighten up rules on stem cell treatments, making it necessary for clinics to provide evidence of safety and effectiveness. But they may not cover some treatments where patients receive cells from their own bodies.