Indian Doctor Angers Sri Lankans After He Recommends Stem Cells to “Treat” Autism in Children

A neurosurgeon from Mumbai has been accused of prescribing stem cell therapy for treating autism to children afflicted by the condition in Sri Lanka. The incident has angered the Sri Lankan medical fraternity, who pointed out that the treatment has not been approved of by the country’s medical norms. In a Times of India report, Dr. Alok Sharma, a renowned neurosurgeon who heads the neurosurgery team at the Sion Hospital has been accused of recruiting children for the treatment procedure without their consent. As per recent reports, the Lankan medical fraternity are planning to also involve the country's health ministry.

The incident came to light from a tip received by the Sri Lankan College of Paediatrics (SLCP) about Dr. Sharma’s visit. As per the allegations, the Mumbai-based neurosurgeon had screened patients in a Colombo hotel, after delivering a talk about the subject. The SLCP soon put out a public notice, warning people against the therapy since its results are mostly unproven.

In the recent years, the idea of using stem cell therapy for autism has been explored by studies, but the scientific communities of both countries do not sanction it. But in Sri Lanka, there are currently no laws that are prohibiting it.

Despite the uproar, Dr. Sharma was unwavering in his support for stem cell therapy as a treatment measure for autism. He told TOI that he possesses MRI and PET scans of 1200 children for whom the treatment was used. They all go to show that stem cells indeed did help in improving problematic areas of the brain, bringing a third of the children out of the autistic spectrum. The stem cells used in the therapy are drawn out of the child’s bone marrow, which Dr. Sharma believes is safe for the patient.

But critics of the therapy say that they have reasons to distrust it. Dr. Vrajesh Udani spoke to TOI said that since autism is a result of a genetic defect, the bone marrow of the child will also carry that defect. So it may not help so much in treating autism. He also added that it was unethical on the doctor’s part to charge money for an experimental treatment.

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells in multicellular organisms like ourselves, which can build any tissue in the body. These cells have two defining abilities: to perpetually renew themselves to produce an output same as the original cell and to differentiate into a specialised adult cell type.

There are two major classes of stem cells: pluripotent that can become any cell in the adult body and multipotent that are restricted to becoming only certain cells. But unlike cancer cells which also divide and multiply, stem cells don’t do so in an uncontrolled manner. Cell division in stem cells happens in an organised, regulated way.

Depending on their defining characteristics, stem cells can have four outcomes.

1. Quiescence- Staying the same

2. Symmetric self-renewal- Dividing into daughter stem cells who are like the parent cells

3. Asymmetric self-renewal- Dividing into two types of daughter cells, one a copy of parent cells and the other like a specialised cell

4. Symmetric division- Dividing into daughter cells which are entirely different from parent cells

Stem cell therapy is using stem cells to treat various disorders, either or a serious or a non-serious nature. Since stem cells have the potential to develop into a variety of cells, with a specialised function like blood, brain, muscle or intestinal cells, they can be used in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Ailments such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, leukaemia, thalassemia, aplastic anaemia, etc. Although stem cell therapy has shown us a glimmer of hope in the field of treating autism, it still remains rather controversial.

Allegations were levelled against Dr. Sharma because Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research state that stem cells can be used in just over 30 conditions like leukaemia, sickle cell disease and immune disorders.

Using stem cells for any other problem is unethical and can be done only as a clinical trial not offered as a therapy. Violation of this rule will be considered as medical malpractice.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2018 04:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).