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Guleria I, de Los Angeles Muñiz M, Wilgo M, Bapat A, Cui W, Hsu YMS, Jeyaraman M, Muthu S, Rodriguez F, Fesnak A, Celluzzi C, Sesok-Pizzini D, Reich-Slotky R, Spitzer T. How do I: Evaluate the safety and legitimacy of unproven cellular therapies? Transfusion 2022; 62:518-532. [PMID: 35143051 DOI: 10.1111/trf.16814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Unproven cellular therapies are being offered to patients for a variety of conditions and diseases for which other treatments have failed. The use of untested cellular therapies is a worldwide problem. Practitioners (e.g., physicians, scientists, QA/QI facility managers, and policy advocates) are perhaps unaware of the risks involved with such therapies. Therefore, a critical need exists to bring attention to the potential limitations and adverse effects of these therapies to inform and limit misinformation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS We describe the extent of the unproven cellular therapy problem through a search of scientific literature and social media coverage. We also describe the regulatory framework that can be used by the practitioner to review and evaluate both proven and unproven cellular therapies. RESULTS We report on the current state of unproven cellular therapies across the globe. A workflow to facilitate an understanding of the regulatory processes involved in the approval of cellular therapies is provided as well as a list of warnings required by regulatory agencies on various products. It is hoped that this article will serve as a tool kit to educate the practitioner on navigating the field of unproven cellular therapy products. DISCUSSION Increasing awareness of the issues associated with unproven therapies through education is important to help in reducing misinformation and risks to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indira Guleria
- Renal Transplant Program, Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria de Los Angeles Muñiz
- Transfusion Medicine and Cellular Therapy Division, Department of Pathology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Matthew Wilgo
- New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc., New England Cryogenic Center. Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Asawari Bapat
- Department of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Infohealth FZE and Questar Enterprises, Dubai, UAE
| | - Wanxing Cui
- Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Gerorgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Yen-Michael Sheng Hsu
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Madhan Jeyaraman
- Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, Sri Lalithambigai Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, India
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India
| | - Sathish Muthu
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India
- Department of Orthopaedics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Dindigul, India
| | - Federico Rodriguez
- Collections and Processing Facility, Bone Marrow Transplant Program, UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital, Gainsville, Florida, USA
| | - Andrew Fesnak
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christina Celluzzi
- Department of Biotherapies, Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Deborah Sesok-Pizzini
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ronit Reich-Slotky
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA
| | - Thomas Spitzer
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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