Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Stem cell treatments in a global
marketplace
Abstract.
This chapter explores the main drivers of market demand:
patient activism, stem cell tourists and early adopters. The emphasis
here is to identify and track the main trends that are shaping how
individuals are influencing the future of the market. Related to this,
the way that health systems might respond to increased demand from
patients is also discussed. Central to this analysis are discussions of
the development of Proposition 71 in California, the use of stem cells
for cosmetic and anti-ageing purposes and the phenomenon of stem
cell tourism. Included in this chapter too is an examination of some
of the animal uses of stem cells.
Keywords:
stem cell tourism, anti-ageing medicine, Proposition 71,
cosmetic surgery, animals, in vitro meat
Although there are currently very few treatment options available,
future requirements for stem cell therapies are anticipated to have a
significant impact on how the field unfolds. The kinds of therapies
that are developed and the ways that patients will be able to access
them will ultimately form the core of the emerging stem cell markets.
This chapter will focus on the currents of influence shaping patient
demand; what the adoption of stem cell treatments into routine
human healthcare contexts might look like; the problems posed by
the availability of untested treatments; and the use of stem cell
technologies in non-human healthcare markets.
