Dr. Sergiu Pașcă

Sometimes this umbilical cell, sometimes we don't even know what cells are being injected.

Like it could be cells from somebody else.

Yeah, they're incredibly risky procedures.

Of course, they've never really been observed.

There have been very few of any clinical trials trying to really address it in a very systematic way.

And very often that's also the case, you know, that's also because they're not really justified.

So in the context of autism, this is very often like done, you know, and it's done not just in South America.

Sometimes there are places in Europe where you can get an injection of some stem cells for autism.

Some cells that are collected from the patient.

It depends a little bit on where it's done and how it's actually done.

But again, even from a biological point of view, what are those stem cells collecting?

presumably doing, let's say, in autism.

You know, we don't think that there is a cell type that is missing in the brain, so it's not like those cells can go.

And I think, as I was mentioning before, most of the cells are already restricted in their potential.

They can no longer make any cell types.

So, you know, the idea that you take these pluripotent stem cells and you just inject them, let's say, in the knee, and it will, like, miraculously grow, you know, cartilage, it's very often not really the case because those cells are not even capable of making cartilage.

So I think there's, you know, very often, you know, a lack of understanding of what these therapies really are.

And then, of course, there is sadly a lack of understanding of what is actually being injected.

So, you know, for autism, this is unfortunately happening much more often than you would think.

So I very often get like parents or families that are asking me desperately, you know, with like exhausted old resources.