| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (27 min. 12 sec.) ; 164323481 bytes |
| Summary |
When it comes to stem cells, mainstream scientists in the UK and America tell us their potential is both exciting and unlimited. But, they hasten to add, treatments for most illnesses are still years away and more research needs to happen.For Wilma Clarke, there is no doubt. Her three-year-old daughter, Dakota, born with a rare condition that left her almost blind and suffering from balance problems, can see things that she could not see before.Stem cell science is a very promising strand of medical research but it's the promises and claims being made by some foreign practitioners using stem cells that are cause for alarm.A BBC Panorama team investigates the unregulated world of overseas clinics advertising on the internet, selling revolutionary treatments and claiming to offer cures and breakthroughs to vulnerable people who've run out of options. They're often desperate patients who'll try anything and travel to far flung parts of the world to be injected with stem cells, despite the dangers.The program follows an Irish family who travel to China in search of help for their three-year-old daughter who was born with a condition leaving her almost blind. After raising money through family and friends, they paid more than $30,000 for six treatments. Independent testing later shows that it's made no improvement to their daughter's vision - but the family continues to believe."It's the next thing to a miracle." Darren Clark, father of 3-year-old Dakota Clark.Meanwhile, a US woman with multiple sclerosis posing as a potential patient uses a hidden camera to film at a stem cell clinic in the Dominican Republic. The US-based doctor has to operate there, because his treatments are illegal in the United States.The results are horrifying. During the very first consultation, the doctor tries to pressure her into embarking on expensive and highly dubious treatment, and then later tries to defend his behaviour when confronted at his Malibu headquarters. When he watches the recording, a reputable US scientist working in the field can't believe his eyes, saying: "No physician ever, ever tries to pressure a patient into receiving an experimental therapy. I think we are looking at a used car salesman, or a snake oil salesman." Professor Evan Snyder |
| Notes |
Closed captioning in English |
| Event |
Broadcast 2010-03-30 at 20:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: NC |
| Subject |
Advertising -- Medicine.
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Fund raising.
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Medical care, Cost of.
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Stem cells -- Research.
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China.
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Ireland.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Clarke, Darren, contributor
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Clarke, Wilma, contributor
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Corcoran, Mark, host
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Hu, Xiang, contributor
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MacIntyre, Darragh, reporter
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Minger, Stephen, contributor
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Oatley, Linda, contributor
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Rader, William, contributor
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Scolding, Neil, contributor
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Snyder, Evan, contributor
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Tychsen, Larry, contributor
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