Exciting Progress

Stem cell therapies are poised to revolutionise medicine.  You will be proud to know that Australia is a world leader in Stem Cell Research, and that advances are being made daily.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used clinically for decades to treat a range of cancers and blood disorders. More information on haematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be found here.

A Cautionary Note

Most other stem cell therapies you will encounter through the media are in experimental or early stages of clinical development.  It is important to appreciate that the media can often distort or hype findings from scientific studies using stem cells. This can make it difficult to sort through all the information to find the truth. As a society, the ASSCR is committed to developing stem cell-based therapies, and equally to ensure that only safe and efficacious therapies are promoted through our organisation.

We welcome your specific stem cell questions, and will endeavour to connect you with an appropriate expert to answer your questions.  Please reach out to us through our Contact Us page.

Recommended Resources

ISSCR’s A Closer Look at Stem Cells includes a Patient Handbook on Stem Cell Therapies and other trustworthy patient resources.

OIRM’s Disease Summaries page explains the potential use of stem cells in various diseases and takes a look at what stage the research is in and whether therapies are available.

Regulatory Changes in Australia

As a patient, or member of the public, you might be interested to read about some of the current debate around regulating unproven stem cell therapies in Australia.  You can read about this, and changes being enacted by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) here.  Again if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to Contact Us.