Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The much anticipated human embryonic stem cell based therapies
discussed in Chapter 5 are still in development. Assuming the success
of the current trials underway, more trials will be approved for other
conditions. Yet the continuing debates worldwide over funding and
patenting for human embryonic stem cell research will still undermine
commercial interest in the field. Should the results of any trial
produce radical results though, it might be anticipated that any
qualms over the ethics of using human embryos would be largely
overridden by the therapeutic potential. In the wake of such a
scenario, however, patenting disputes might be expected to deepen.
As discussed in Chapter 6, any clinical applications of induced
pluripotent stem cells are still a long way off technical feasibility. Yet
given the rapid rate of development of the field this might change very
quickly. As with human embryonic stem cells, the patenting landscape
will prove to be important for the first companies bringing products
to market. However, as the techniques for inducing pluripotency
proliferate and the possibility of creating personalized therapeutics
emerges, it may eventuate that applications of induced pluripotency
yield little commercial value. The still even more distant possibility is
that the use of iPSCs in personalized medicine could radically
transform contemporary ideas about health, illness and medicine.
To sum up: there are a number of applications in development
worldwide but few treatments actually available to patients other
than the unproven therapies advertised on the Internet, participation
in emerging clinical trials or procedures for cosmetic enhancement.
The global stem cell industries are currently in their infancy but with
strong prospects for the future. Beyond the current limitations in
scientific and technical knowledge, negotiating the regulatory
environment around testing, marketing and patenting products is
the main hurdle for successful development at this stage. And while
patient demand is having a strong impact on the opportunities for
progress, governments still have an important role in ensuring that
the right conditions for innovation are in place.