#STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR AUTISM TRIAL#

Treatments range from $15,825 to about $17,000 for children and include a stay at the Hilton hotel with transportation to and from the airport, VIP airport gate services and accelerated customs clearance upon arrival to Panama. The five day-long therapy consists of a physical examination and blood testing on the first day followed by four days of injections of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. The Stem Cell Institute in Panama has been studying and performing stem cell treatments for autism for about nine years. become stricter, the industry of “stem cell tourism” continues to grow. He refers to this trend as “stem cell tourism.” Not surprisingly, as regulations on stem cell research in the U.S. to get unapproved stem cell therapies, but it is more common in countries like Panama, Mexico and China,” said Lorenz Studer, the founder and director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. As a result, only one stem cell type – cord blood – is approved for treatment in the States, which has prompted some parents to travel to different countries in pursuit of other stem cells treatments for conditions such as autism. Photo courtesy of Carrie Tackett | Braxton Tackett getting his vitals checked after his second infusion of stem cells.Īlthough stem cells are heralded as having the potential to instigate lifesaving medical interventions, political regulations regarding the moral dilemma of stem cell use, such as the destruction of embryos, have slowed the research and approval progress in the U.S.

#STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR AUTISM TRIAL#

Parents in the Facebook group began posting about getting rejected from the clinical trial at Duke and turning to the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City for treatment, which was also using stem cells in an attempt to decrease inflammation and symptoms of autism.Īfter hearing that Duke was only accepting children who demonstrated the ability to communicate verbally, Carrie Tackett knew she had to do more and so booked two flights for $1400 to Panama on Jan. Duke’s research was exploring this theory by targeting inflammation with stem cells to examine whether it would improve behavioral outcomes in children with the condition. Some studies have suggested that autism has been correlated to increased inflammation in the brain. While waiting almost two years to find out if Braxton, now 7, would be accepted, she joined a group of parents on Facebook discussing stem cell therapy for autism. clinical stem cell trial for autism at the time, which was run by Duke University in North Carolina. In 2017, Carrie Tackett applied to enroll her son in the only U.S. “In my head, I keep picturing my son being able to talk to me, or eating food he has never eaten before, or using the bathroom on his own.” “We have since been living with him at that level,” said Carrie Tackett, who resides in Twinsburg, Ohio, with her family of three. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 59 children in the U.S. One year later, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a range of brain development conditions that affects communication skills and social interaction. “We noticed things were different,” explained Carrie Tackett, Braxton’s mother. As these distinct behaviors, known as stimming, began, Tackett’s eye contact and talking faded.

He would tap them on tables, walls and floors, so they made sounds. He would line them up and continuously spin them around. When Braxton Tackett turned 18 months old, he began playing with his toys differently. By Katarina Torres Radisic, reporting from Panama City

Stem cell treatment for autism