Context
The Supreme Court ruled that stem cell “therapies” for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cannot be offered as a clinical treatment due to the absence of established scientific evidence regarding their safety and efficacy.
What are Stem Cells?
• Special cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into specialised cells (blood, muscle, nerve cells, etc.)
• Found mainly in:
• Embryos
• Bone marrow
• Umbilical cord blood
• Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) created in laboratories
What is Stem Cell Therapy?
• A medical approach using stem cells to repair, replace or regenerate damaged tissues or cells
• Valid only in approved clinical trials with proper scientific monitoring
• For ASD, no proven scientific evidence of therapeutic benefit exists
Accepted Applications of Stem Cell Therapy
- Blood-related diseases – leukemia, lymphoma (bone-marrow transplant)
- Some immune system disorders
- Genetic blood disorders – thalassemia, sickle cell disease
