The spread in China of unproven stem-cell therapies for conditions such as epilepsy and spinal cord injuries has left the nations health authorities concerned. There is no clear evidence that these treatments work - nor that they are killing people. Of the thousands of patients from China and abroad who have been treated, some seem to think that they have been helped, even if only modestly, and many more are ready to fork out thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to try out the treatments. Are the clinicians taking advantage of people desperate for a cure? How can the government - and the potential patients - make sense of this?rnOne obvious place from which to seek guidance would be the national stem-cell society. But China doesn't have one. A group of scientists, including many of the country's most prominent and internationally established researchers, are trying to create one.
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