Professional Regulation: A Potentially Valuable Tool in Responding to ‘‘Stem Cell Tourism’’
Zarzeczny, Amy; Caulfield, Timothy; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Bell, Peter; Crooks, Valorie A.; Kamenova, Kalina; Master, Zubin; Rachul, Christen; Snyder, Jeremy; Toews, Maeghan; Zoeller, Sonja
The growing international market for unproven stem cell-based
interventions advertised on a direct-to-consumer basis over the
internet (‘‘stem cell tourism’’) is a source of concern because of
the risks it presents to patients as well as their supporters, domestic
health care systems, and the stem cell research field. Emerging responses
such as public and health provider-focused education and
national regulatory efforts are encouraging, but the market continues
to grow. Physicians play a number of roles in the stem cell
tourism market and, in many jurisdictions, are members of a regulated
profession. In this article, we consider the use of professional
regulation to address physician involvement in stem cell tourism.
Although it is not without its limitations, professional regulation is
a potentially valuable tool that can be employed in response to
problematic types of physician involvement in the stem cell
tourism market.
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