Evaluating Stem
Evaluating
Stem Cell Therapies
Hospitals, clinics,
and even private doctor’s offices and laboratories now offer stem cell
treatments, making claims about what stem cells can do. Our understanding
of the science and the discoveries so far does not support some of these
claims. Currently, the only stem cell therapy that has strong support for its
effectiveness is the therapy referred to as bone marrow transplant, which is
commonly done for lymphoma, leukemia, and other blood cancers. The material
studied in this activity should clarify some of the misinformation that is
widely circulated. You will apply what you have learned so far and be a
critical consumer of information.
Completing this activity will assist you in mastering Module
Level Outcome 3.
First:
Review these assigned readings; they will serve as your
scientific sources of accurate information:
·Understanding Stem Cells [PDF, file size 974 KB] from the National Academies.
·How Science Becomes Medicine (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
·Fighting aging using stem cell therapy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
·Stem cells in Texas: Cowboy culture (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
·Goldman, B. (2016)
White coat, black art: Stem cell hype and risk (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site. CBC Radio
·Kamenova, K., &
Caulfield, T. (2015) Stem cell hype: Media portrayal of therapy
translation (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Science Translational Medicine, V7, Issue
278, pp. 278 [Note: Just read abstract]
Next:
·Use a standard Google
search for this phrase: “stem cell therapy.” Do not go to Google Scholar.
Select one of the websites, blogs, or other locations that offer stem cell
therapies.
·Save the link for your
selected site.
·Read the materials
provided on your selected site and find out who the authors and sponsors of the
site are by going to their “home” or “about us” pages.
Finally, submit your responses to the following in an essay of
500-750 words (2-3 pages of text—use a separate page for a title and for your
references):
You are going to prepare a critique of the site you located and
compare it to the scientific information available on this therapy.
·Give the full title of
the website, web blog, or other site that you selected, along with the link.
·Describe the therapy
that is being offered and what conditions it is designed to treat.
·Who are the authors
and sponsors of the site you selected?
·Compare the claims
about the therapy offered to what is said in the assigned readings about this
type of therapy. You may have to use our library, as well, to determine what
scientists and researchers have to say about the use of stem cells to treat
this condition.
·Would you say that the
therapy you found is a well-established, proven technique for humans, or more
of an experimental, unproven approach?
·What about the type of
language discussed in the Goldman article? Is the therapy you found using
sensationalist claims and terminology that are not supported by the scientific
research?
·Would you recommend
that a patient with this condition go ahead and participate in this treatment?
Why or why not?
You are also
encouraged to do your own research through our library on the topic. Do not
forget to include in-text citations and complete APA style references
for all sources. The Excelsior Library Citation Tip Sheets and
Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. will be a helpful guide. You may also
wish to use a citation generator – you just insert the information, and it
creates the citation in the format you indicate (MLA or APA, for example).
Here are 3 citation generators to choose from:
1.Citation Machine (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
2.Bibme (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
3.EasyBib (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word
processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your
computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require
uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided
by your instructor.
Check your work and correct any spelling or
grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload
Submission.” Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file
to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify
the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on
“Continue.” Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept
Submission & Save.”
