Pulling the plug on the stem cell hype

Flesh made new: the unnatural history and broken promise of stem cells

Rasko J, Power C
ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia; 2021
($34.99; 400 pp)
ISBN 9780733340147

There is no doubt that stem cell science has captured our imagination. The idea that researchers could harness the potential of stem cells to restore health following illness or injury has prompted thousands of headlines and ignited the hopes of many patients and their friends and families across the globe. While many will trace their interest and excitement in stem cells back to the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990s, the promise of new therapies to restore form and function has a much longer and chequered history.

In this captivating and easily accessible popular science book, haematologist and stem cell expert John Rasko and historian and writer Carl Power take what they describe as a “tough love” approach to chronicle the key events that shaped the field and community perceptions about stem cell science and regenerative medicine over the 20th and 21st centuries. Through focusing on the achievements, motivations and eccentricities of the scientific luminaries, including several Nobel laureates as well as lesser‐known researchers who helped pave the way, Flesh made new: the unnatural history and broken promise of stem cells illustrates the twists and turns and immense dedication that were required to develop the first stem cell therapy: bone marrow transplantation. The authors then delve into more recent history, charting the discovery of embryonic stem cells, their laboratory cousin — induced pluripotent stem cells — and the unbridled publicity that these feats attracted. Despite acknowledging that there has been some progress in advancing on the promise of stem cells in more recent years, they take aim at the near universal hype surrounding regenerative medicine. The authors argue that this has created a fertile ground for bad science and even worse medicine, such as the rampant spread of clinics selling unproven stem cells to the tale of surgeon Paolo Macchiarini.1

Is the promise of stem cells broken? I think not. Rather, this entertaining read raises some uncomfortable truths and is a timely reminder of what happens when we expect too much, too soon, and bypass the need for evidence and accountability.