Investigation Raises Concerns Over Tooth Stem Cell Banking Claims

Parents are spending thousands of pounds to slope stem cells from their children's beverage teeth – but nan recipient companies' claims astir their early aesculapian worth are unproven and perchance misleading, reveals an investigation by The BMJ, published today.

The companies' claims see that stem cells banked from teeth are already being utilized successful treatments for autism and diabetes. They besides item existent investigation utilizing stem cells successful aggregate sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and bosom attacks.

Tooth stem compartment banking involves parents sending their children's mislaid beverage teeth to a laboratory wherever nan dental pulp stem cells are harvested and stored. The work costs astir £1900 (€2189; $2573) pinch an further yearly retention interest of £95, explains freelance journalist Emma Wilkinson. 

The 3 companies successful nan UK offering bony stem compartment banking – Future Health Biobank, BioEden and Stem Protect – each run done 1 laboratory. 

Future Health Biobank says connected its website that it has released 26 bony stem compartment samples for treatment, including for autism, type 1 diabetes, and knee cartilage regeneration, each to backstage clinics successful North America.

BioEden states it has "already witnessed nan singular grounds of these ongoing developments" among its ain customers, while Stem Protect cites cleft palate repair, sickle compartment disease, HIV/AIDS, terrible mixed immunodeficiency, and knee cartilage repair nether a conception of its website headed, 'What treatments are bony stem cells utilized for?'

But respective experts are concerned astir nan claims being made, which they opportunity consequence exploiting parents, pinch nan autism curen committedness deemed peculiarly "outrageous."

Jill Shepherd, elder teacher successful stem compartment biology astatine nan University of Kent, says companies are trading nan "potential" for thing that is not yet borne retired by nan science. "There is simply a deficiency of grounds and a paucity of investigation utilizing dental pulp stem cells to dainty patients."

Sufyan Hussain, an interrogator connected nan UK limb of a world objective proceedings evaluating stem compartment therapy for type 1 diabetes, besides has concerns astir what is being promised. "At present, location isn't a definitive reply regarding nan optimal root of stem cells for early glucosuria therapies," he says.

Tim Nicholls, assistant head of policy, investigation and strategy astatine nan National Autistic Society successful nan UK, adds: "It's outrageous that bony stem compartment procedures are being advertised to parents pinch nan mendacious declare of 'treating' autism.

"Autism is not a illness aliases illness, it cannot beryllium treated and location is nary cure. It is vulnerable and morally bankrupt to target perchance susceptible group pinch costly procedures that could, successful fact, origin harm."

Experts are besides concerned astir nan deficiency of independent accusation connected bony stem compartment banking to thief consumers make a afloat informed choice, and opportunity much oversight is needed of nan accusation being utilized to beforehand nan practice. 

Jill Shepherd besides believes parents should beryllium fixed much accusation connected what type of tests are done to validate that stem cells are coming successful nan stored samples, that nan samples person been collected properly, and nan grounds connected really agelong specified samples tin beryllium viably stored.

The BMJ has raised respective concerns astir really nan work is promoted connected each 3 institution websites pinch nan Advertising Standards Agency, which it says it will review.

In response, Future Health Biobank says it is reviewing really accusation connected its tract is presented to guarantee "readers tin intelligibly separate betwixt customer experiences and formally published objective outcomes." 

The institution besides says it has a "robust, ongoing, retention stableness validation programme" pinch value power testing to guarantee that location is nary deterioration successful nan integrity, viability aliases early imaginable of biologic samples."