Журнал исследований и терапии стволовых клеток

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Laboratory Training Guidelines for Clinicians Undertaking Stem Cell Therapy

Rachel Shparberg, Natasha Braunsteiner and E. Russell Vickers

Stem cell-based regenerative therapies are an exciting and emerging field in medicine and dentistry. Since the 1960s, stem cell therapies have been successfully performed and approved in the form of bone marrow transplants and more recently, in skin and corneal grafting. However, the field of regenerative cell therapy has somewhat come to a halt due to safety, ethical and legal concerns associated with medical and scientific practices. In Australia, stem cell therapies, besides those mentioned above, are permitted provided that they are autologous in nature and that the procedure is performed by or under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner in a single treatment. However, the medical practitioner requires no formal stem cell training. We have identified this deficiency in optimal patient care and propose that education in the safe, legal and ethical delivery of stem cell treatments be part of a mandatory training course for medical/dental practitioners and the scientific team prior to the clinical use of stem cell therapies in Australia, and arguably, on a global scale. This involves the scientific and medical team having a sound understanding of the biology of stem cells, their appropriate applications and basic validation and laboratory techniques in order to provide effective and safe treatment for improved patient outcomes. As such, this article aims to propose a frame-work of scientific guidelines for dental and medical practitioners to undertake stem cell therapies.