Hyderabad: Minimally manipulated stem cells or more than minimally manipulated stem cells notified by the Union health ministry for treatment has been strongly objected by the Indian Council of Medical Research as it will open doors for indiscriminate use of unproven therapies and treatment using stem cells.
The notification which was issued by the Union health ministry in April has been objected as there are many private clinics in the country which claim to cure diseases using stem cells. This proposal by the government will legitimise its indiscriminate use, says ICMR.
Stem cells have the capacity to turn into diverse types of cells in the body. Presently, the approved therapy is to extract stem cells from the bone marrow or other body tissues and implant them back into the body to cure diseases. The approved therapies are for repair of knee bones, hip bones and its use is allowed in gangrene and burns cases.
For other diseases like diabetes, heart, kidney and liver diseases, stem cell therapy is still not approved.
While the clinics and private establishments have stated that it is a “progressive step” ICMR has strongly opposed saying that lakhs of patients would be lured into trying these treatments where the results are still not proven scientifically.
