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Zorzanelli RT, Speroni AV, Menezes RA, Leibing A. Stem cell research in Brazil: the production of a new field of science. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 24:129-144. [PMID: 27737373 DOI: 10.1590/s0104-59702016005000026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Based on a review of the literature published in the early twenty-first century by Brazilian researchers, the article offers an overview of stem cell research in Brazil. Three central topics were detected in these papers: (1) the funding of stem cell research in Brazil; (2) preclinical and clinical trials in Brazil; and (3) social anthropological analysis focused on ethical and legal matters. Our review identifies controversial questions in the construction of this scientific field, especially issues involving the media as a disseminator of values and of certain social representations, where new kinds of hope figure large. Within this climate of uncertainty, we find patients and their families energized by the promises of the "medicine of the future."
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Teixeira Zorzanelli
- Professora, Instituto de Medicina Social/Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Pavilhão João Lyra Filho, 6º andar, bloco E, sala 07. 20550-013 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil.
| | - Angela Vasconi Speroni
- Doutoranda, Instituto de Estudos em Saúde Coletiva (Iesc)/ Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Avenida Horácio Macedo, s.n., bloco A, sala 7. 21941-598 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil.
| | - Rachel Aisengart Menezes
- Professora, Iesc/UFRJ. Avenida Horácio Macedo, s.n., bloco A, sala 7. 21941-598 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil.
| | - Annette Leibing
- Professora, Faculdade de Enfermagem/Université de Montréal. CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville H3C 3J7 - Montréal - Québec - Canadá.
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Salter B, Zhou Y, Datta S. Health consumers and stem cell therapy innovation: markets, models and regulation. Regen Med 2015; 9:353-66. [PMID: 24935045 DOI: 10.2217/rme.13.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Global health consumer demand for stem cell therapies is vibrant, but the supply of treatments from the conventional science-based model of innovation is small and unlikely to increase in the near future. At the same time, several models of medical innovation have emerged that can respond to the demand, often employing a transnational value chain to deliver the product. Much of the commentary has approached the issue from a supply side perspective, demonstrating the extent to which national and transnational regulation fails to impose what are regarded as appropriate standards on the 'illicit' supply of stem cell therapies characterized by little data and poor outcomes. By contrast, this article presents a political economic analysis with a strong demand side perspective, arguing that the problem of what is termed 'stem cell tourism' is embedded in the demand-supply relationship of the health consumer market and its engagement with different types of stem cell therapy innovation. To be meaningful, discussions of regulation must recognize that analysis or risk being sidelined by a market, which ignores their often wishful thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Salter
- Global Biopolitics Research Centre, Department of Political Economy, King's College London, London, UK
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McMahon DS, Singer PA, Daar AS, Thorsteinsdóttir H. Regenerative medicine in Brazil: small but innovative. Regen Med 2010; 5:863-76. [DOI: 10.2217/rme.10.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: Although Brazil has received attention for conducting one of the world’s largest stem cell clinical trials for heart disease, little has been published regarding Brazil’s regenerative medicine (RM) sector. Here we present a comprehensive case study of RM in Brazil, including analysis of the current activity, the main motivations for engaging in RM and the remaining challenges to development in this field. Methods: Our case study is primarily based on semi-structured interviews with experts on RM in Brazil, including researchers, policymakers, clinicians, representatives of firms and regulators. Results: Driven by domestic health needs and strategic government support, Brazil is producing innovative RM research, particularly for clinical research in cardiology, orthopedics, diabetes and neurology. We describe the main RM research currently taking place in Brazil, as well as some of the economic, regulatory and policy events that have created a favorable environment for RM development. Brazilian RM researchers need to overcome several formidable challenges to research: research funding is inconsistent, importation of materials is costly and slow, and weak linkages between universities, hospitals and industry impede translational research. Conclusions: Although Brazil’s contribution to the RM sector is small, its niche emphasis on clinical applications may become of global importance, particularly if Brazil manages to address the challenges currently impinging on RM innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique S McMahon
- McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Peter A Singer
- McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Abdallah S Daar
- McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Halla Thorsteinsdóttir
- McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1L7, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada
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