Italy Pushes on with Controversial Stem Cell Therapy

       Recently, in a hospital in Italy named Spedali Civili of Brescia, stem cell research has been conducted even though the treatments are proven unsafe. They are using the stem cells obtained from bone marrow, which can later become mature bone and tissue. The problems arising with this research come from the facts that this hospital is not listed under the 13 legal facilities that stem cell testing can be done in Italy. They were ordered in 2012 by the AIFA (Italian drug regulator) to stop the testing and research, but they continued to do it anyway. Many people in the medical community and even the scientists have been protesting this issue. They want this research to stop since it is so unsafe and unproven.

        On the other side of the argument, family members of the patients involved in these stem cell trials are saying they want the testing to continue. Many are claiming that the treatments are helping.
Despite their best efforts, the medical community and the scientists protesting this issue were unsuccessful. The country's Minister of Health, Renato Balduzzi, recently signed a bill to allow the hospital to continue to do their stem cell trials. The only way these trials will stop is if they experience serious side effects.

         
         In my opinion, this article raises many questions. It can be viewed in a scientific way, and be said to be harming the patients involved in the trial, because we are unsure of the consequences down the road. It can also be viewed as a breakthrough if these trials are actually working on the patients, like their family members are claiming. Overall, the question is "How can we decide whether these trials should continue to happen?". If something goes horribly wrong, who is to blame? It is hard to blame the hospital, since they were approved by the Minister of Health to conduct the trials. On the other hand, the Minister of Health can turn around and blame the hospital for not being approved in the earlier stages. There is much controversy that can happen from this.

Article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23333-italy-pushes-on-with-controversial-stem-cell-therapy.html