International Society Publishes Open Letter to Stem Cell Clinics

PORTLAND, OREGON, August 2, 2010 – The International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to patient safety and physician education on the medical use of adult stem cells, announces the publication of an Open Letter directed to stem cell clinics worldwide.  The letter, currently published on the ICMS website, warns clinics about impending threats to the future of cell based medicine and encourages them to join the ICMS, participate in its Treatment Registry, and come into compliance with its physician developed international guidelines.

The future of cell based medicine requires cooperation, transparency and peer oversight. “There are good clinics in the world,” says David Audley, Executive Director of the ICMS. “We are telling these clinics that it is time to stand up and not allow pharmaceutical funded and industry organizations to discredit adult stem cell therapies.”

The need to draw an obvious distinction between ethical and rogue clinics has never been greater. This appeal to clinics to come into compliance with international standards and be transparent with patient data comes as more and more patients are seeking out treatment for debilitating and terminal conditions. Without universal standards for the collection, processing and transplantation of stem cells, there is no way for patients and their physicians to effectively evaluate any clinic. Through compliance with the ICMS Guidelines and participation in the ICMS Treatment Registry, clinics can make a very visible statement about their commitment to patient safety.

“Good clinics,” continued Audley, “Will embrace this transparency, and use it to distinguish their practices. Bad ones won’t, and the medical community will expose them as rogue clinics with dangerous practices.”