HC permits stem cell therapy for two kids with autism

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Last Updated02/09/2023

The Delhi High Court recently permitted two children suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to undergo stem cell therapy for treatment of their condition.
The order came in a petition against a recommendation of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) regarding stem cell treatment (SCT) in ASD.
The doctors treating the children stopped the same because the recommendation stated that the “use, promotion and advertisement of SCT shall amount to professional misconduct”.
HC stated, no statutory provision of law has been brought to our notice, which prohibits the use of SCT in ASD.

Stem cells are the body's raw materials i.e. cells from which all other cells with specialised functions are generated.
Under certain conditions in the body or a laboratory, stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells.
These daughter cells either become new stem cells (self-renewal) or become specialised cells (differentiation) with a more specific function.
- Such specialised cells include blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells or bone cells.
No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types.

Also known as regenerative medicine, it promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives.
Stem cells can then be implanted into a person to replace the damaged or lost cells.

ASD refers to a range of conditions characterised by some degree of impaired social behaviour, communication, language and a narrow range of interests and activities that are both unique to the individual and carried out repetitively.
It is a complex brain development disability which makes itself visible during the first 3 years of a person’s life.
It is not mental retardation as people with autism may show excellent skills in spheres like art,music, writing etc.
The level of intellectual functioning in individuals with ASDs is extremely variable, extending from profound impairment to superior levels.
There are probably many factors that make a child more likely to have an ASD, including environmental and genetic factors.
Although autism is not curable, its symptoms can be addressed with appropriate interventions.