The controversy over stem-cell tourism, in which patients travel to other countries for unapproved stem-cell treatments, continues to grow. In June, researchers in Thailand reported finding "strange lesions" in a patient who had died following stem-cell therapy for kidney disease (see Nature 465, 997; 2010). And in August, an 18-month-old Romanian boy died after receiving a brain injection of stem cells. Now South Korea is trying to crack downrnon the practice. Following the recent deaths of two Koreans who had received injections of stem cells, the Korea Food and Drug Administration and the health ministry last week launched an investigation into companies offering the treatments. But the latest cases highlight the difficulty of policing these therapies or determining their safety, because some companies are setting up operations around the globe, taking advantage of loopholes in other countries' regulations.
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