Dozens of Australian clinicians are offering unproven and potentially risky stem cell therapies, warn experts, who are calling for tighter regulations.
The 60 providers are using the therapies to treat everything from sports injuries to cancer, autism and Alzheimer's disease.
The warning is contained in a new report, The Stem Cell Revolution: Lessons and Imperatives for Australia, based on a Think Tank convened by the Australian Academy of Science last year.
It says Australia has the potential to become a world leader in stem cell research, contributing to possible outcomes like the repair or replacement of damaged heart tissue for those with cardiovascular disease and restoring vision to those with macular degeneration.
But it says public awareness about rogue therapists offering risky stem cell procedures remains limited.
"We can make organs in a dish and correct disease-causing genetic defects in a patient's own cells: it's an exciting time for stem cell researchers and new breakthroughs are making headlines almost daily," says the report's steering committee co-chair Professor Richard Harvey.
"We must continue to strategically support this vital area, and see it as a priority area of research for Australia if we are to reap the benefits for humanity, save on our healthcare bill, and continue to be a world leader."
The report notes the rise of "stem cell tourism" and the regulatory environment that allows practitioners to offer unproven therapies.
"One downside of the excitement around stem cells is that public expectations can be falsely raised," Prof Harvey said.
"Without more clinical trials to test new treatments in Australia, patients may be tempted to seek out unproven therapies, at home or overseas, which can cost anything between $10,000 and $60,000 and may not work or may even make people even more ill."
Most are offered as "innovative" or "experimental" therapies to patients suffering from chronic and debilitating illnesses, many of whom are vulnerable and not getting what they want from conventional medical therapy.
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
* a national centre to help accelerate the "translation" of clinical discoveries
* improve patient access to clinical trials of possible treatments
* stem cell banks with relevant clinical and genomics data to help facilitate research
* amend regulations to align with international standards
