International Stem Cell Institute
iStemCelli Stem Cell Clinic
This clinic, which was founded in 2008 and is managed by Rita Alexander, operates out of Mexico and uses so-called ‘non-controversial’ placenta-derived stem cells to treat conditions often considered incurable, so far, in the US. The ISCI provides potential patients with information about stem cell therapy, gives support in terms of patient travel to and from the clinic, and also has financial packages available (i.e. loans) to aid patients in covering the cost of their treatment. They claim that their procedures have been ‘clinically tested’ by over 2000 patients, but, perhaps, that should be ‘clinically administered’ as testing is not the main remit of the ISCI.
Clinical Tests at ISCI
Clinical tests involve strict protocols being stringently adhered to, controlled patient groups, randomization, placebo-control, double-blind conditions and a number of other basic scientific standards to ensure that the treatment is able to be analyzed and any benefits or adverse affects attributed to the treatment rather than confounding variables. The ISCI does not do this, nor do the other clinics in Mexico, who offer the treatments, usually have little in the way of patient follow-up and are not in a position to publish peer-reviewed academic research, rather to present heavily marketed anecdotes of patients’ ‘miracles’ on their websites. Clinical trials these are not.
Of course, that is not to say that the patients undergoing such treatments are not getting some benefits from the use of placental stem cells, even if this is just an expensive placebo effect. The problem is that without the ISCI critically examining its own procedures and allowing them to be fairly scrutinized by the wider medical community, patients may be at risk of complications from the stem cell treatments, or may be missing out on the opportunity to enhance the procedures and make them more effective for a larger patient population. Clinical trials underway in the US are recruiting for patients to undergo treatment using stem cells for blindness, spinal problems, diabetic foot, liver cirrhosis and numerous other conditions and present a better option for patients in terms of safety and follow-up care.
Screening Stem Cells
The ISCI appears to apply rigorous screening to the harvested placenta to ensure that the stem cells used are free from disease and viruses. Placental tissue does not incite an immune response in patients, making it comparable to autologous stem cell treatments in this sense, but the stem cells from the placenta are thought to be more ‘plastic’ than adult stem cells and therefore may be more likely to differentiate into many types of cell in the body rather than, say, bone, muscle, or liver cells in particular.
A concern, therefore, with all stem cell treatments is the potential for the progenitor cells to lead to over-proliferation and the rise of cancer cells. As the safety issues around this are still under investigation, treatment at an unregulated, financially-focused, clinic that is not transparent in terms of patient fatalities, complications, or other adverse incidents leaves potential patients exposed to risks that they may not be made aware of prior to treatment. The lack of published results in a respectable scientific format from the ISCI makes it hard to determine their levels of success, failure, and risk using stem cell therapy.
