International stem cell environments: a world of difference

Caulfield, Timothy; Zarzeczny, Amy; McCormick, Jennifer B.; Bubela, Tania; Chritchley, Christine; Einsiedel, Edna F.; Galipeau, Jacques; Harmon, Shawn; Huynh, Michael; Hyun, Insoo; Illes, Judy; Isasi, Rosario; Joly, Yann; Laurie, Graeme; Lomax, Geoff; Longstaff, Holly; McDonald, Michael; Murdoch, Charles; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Owen‐Smith, Jason; Pattinson, Shaun D.; Premji, Shainur; Tigerstrom, Barbara von; Winickoff, David E.

doi:10.1038/stemcells.2009.61

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The latter recently reported results from 20 subjects with chronic SCI in a prospective but uncontrolled study [7]. Other interventions are available for purchase at clinical sites around the world [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

In Delicate Balance: Stem Cells and Spinal Cord Injury Advocacy

Parke

Illes

2010

Stem Cell Rev and Rep

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major focus for stem cell therapy (SCT). However, the science of SCT has not been well matched with an understanding of perspectives of persons with SCI. The online advocacy community is a key source of health information for primary stakeholders and their caregivers. In this study, we sought to characterize the content of SCI advocacy websites with respect to their discussion of SCT and stem cell tourism. We performed a comprehensive analysis of SCI advocacy websites identified through a web search and verified by expert opinion. Two independent researchers coded the information for major themes (e.g., scientific & clinical facts, research & funding, policy, ethics) and valence (positive, negative, balanced, neutral). Of the 40 SCI advocacy websites that met inclusion criteria, 50% (N=20) contained information about SCT. Less than 18% (N=7) contained information on stem cell tourism. There were more than ten times as many statements about SCT with a positive valence (N=67) as with a negative valence (N=6). Ethics-related SCT information comprised 20% (N=37) of the total content; the largest proportion of ethics-related content was devoted to stem cell tourism (80%, N=30 statements). Of those, the majority focused on the risks of stem cell tourism (N=16). Given the still-developing science behind SCT, the presence of cautionary information about stem cell tourism at advocacy sites is ethically appropriate. The absence of stem cell tourism information at the majority of advocacy sites represents a lost educational opportunity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

In Delicate Balance: Stem Cells and Spinal Cord Injury Advocacy

Parke

Illes

2010

Stem Cell Rev and Rep

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“…It has been suggested that funding and regulatory environments have a significant impact on the ability of a jurisdiction to attract and retain scientific talent [11]; however, these are likely only two of the many factors that affect movement decisions of researchers around the globe [12]. With the exception of studies focusing specifically on human embryonic SC (hESC) researchers in the United States (US), little empirical research has been carried out on the career choices of individual researchers [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focus on People and the Science Will Follow: Motivating Forces for Professional Movement in Stem Cell Research

Jacob

Longstaff²,

Scott

et al. 2015

Stem Cell Rev and Rep

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The migration of researchers across geographic borders, or "brain drain" as it is commonly called, remains an important issue for governments around the world as loss or gain of highly qualified personnel in research can have substantial social, economic and political consequences. In the present study we seek to examine the forces that drive international professional migration of stem cell (SC) researchers, for which variation of SC policy in different jurisdictions has previously been implicated as a driving force. Structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of SC researchers in the professoriate who had made international moves after postdoctoral work between the years 2001-2014, or were actively anticipating a future move. Participants were asked to rank motivators of international movement on a 5-point Likert scale and prompted to elaborate on their answers. The results suggest that career considerations, availability of research funding, and personal considerations are of high importance to the participants when considering an international move, while the permissiveness or restrictiveness SC research policy is of comparably lower importance. Participants also expressed that international movements are beneficial to scientific careers overall. The findings have important implications for policy and strategies to attract and retain members of the SC research community.

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“…Early research examining this marketplace focused on patients traveling to clinics situated in such countries as China, India, Russia and the Ukraine [1][2][3][4][5]. Clinics selling unproven stem cell interventions were initially thought to be located largely in jurisdictions with regulatory loopholes or under-resourced law enforcement agencies [6][7][8]. More recently, empirical studies of online direct-to-consumer marketing by businesses selling 'stem cell treatments' have documented proliferation of such clinics in Australia, Japan and the USA [9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

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confidence: 99%