What you need to know about stem cell therapies

A new publication will help people living with illness make informed choices about their treatments.

What you need to know about stem cell therapies is a resource for people contemplating stem cell-based treatments or clinical trials.

An increasing number of expensive, unproven and unethical stem cell therapies are being offered in Australia and overseas, advertised on slick internet sites with seemingly positive testimonials.

This new guide is written for patients and their families to help them understand their options.

It includes:

• a handy list of questions to ask about any stem cell treatments you're considering
• an overview of the conditions that are currently treated using approved stem cell therapies
• how new therapies are developed and tested
• risks of unproven or experimental treatments.

This guide has been developed with oversight from the Foundation's expert Science and Ethics Committee.