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UC Davis professor Paul Knoepfler’s new book about stem cells may never break into the New York Times best-seller ranks, but he still might make some publishing history.
Knoepfler could be the only biology researcher ever to write a comprehensive consumer guide about the health care treatments being developed in his own field—complete with safety cautions.
Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide is also a scientific primer and a paean to the promise of stem cell research. But Knoepfler, whose 370-page book originated as a blog about his field, also wanted to protect the thousands of vulnerable patients who have prematurely looked to stem cell therapy as a last-ditch hope for a cure.
His greatest concern is for patients who have been lured by the false claims of dubious for-profit clinics to pay as much as $100,000 for unproven “stem cell treatments.” These injections, he says, may actually consist of cells culled from pigs, cows, or sheep, and bear unknown risks such as contamination or immune system reactions.
A growing network of secret online communities, as well as overt advertisements, have...
Knoepfler could be the only biology researcher ever to write a comprehensive consumer guide about the health care treatments being developed in his own field—complete with safety cautions.
Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide is also a scientific primer and a paean to the promise of stem cell research. But Knoepfler, whose 370-page book originated as a blog about his field, also wanted to protect the thousands of vulnerable patients who have prematurely looked to stem cell therapy as a last-ditch hope for a cure.
His greatest concern is for patients who have been lured by the false claims of dubious for-profit clinics to pay as much as $100,000 for unproven “stem cell treatments.” These injections, he says, may actually consist of cells culled from pigs, cows, or sheep, and bear unknown risks such as contamination or immune system reactions.
A growing network of secret online communities, as well as overt advertisements, have...