Delving deeper into stem cell treatment for ASD: In May 2020 the journal Molecular Autism published the following review of clinical trial data for Stem Cell treatment (MSC or SCT) for ASD: Cell Therapy Approaches to Autism: a Review of Clinical Trial Data. In his review of the literature, Dr Price brings to light many of the questions and challenges regarding SCT for ASD:

• Stem Cell therapy is being marketed shamelessly as a miracle autism cure. Families seeking answers for their children may be barraged by social media posts, texts, emails, and other ‘direct to consumer’ ads from questionable clinics that promise more than they can deliver and at great expense to families. SCT providers do not acknowledge the experimental nature of the therapy, and the lack of regulatory review of the treatment process.
• The global clinical research enterprise is important to provide safeguards to families of children with ASD with regard to Stem Cell Therapy and more broadly. While SCT clinical research is promising, it remains at a very early stage, with a very limited number of participants and without a strong track record of success. Many SCT clinical studies lack a clear therapeutic target and often have stopped in the middle for unspecified reasons.
• In terms of the best clinical research for SCT, a variety of protocols have been examined varying sources of stem cells (eg. donor cells, frozen umbilical cord blood cells from the child himself, fresh cells harvested from the child’s bone marrow etc) and methods of administration – so it is difficult to compare the data between the studies. Dr Price gives his suggestions for rectifying the situation with further study based on clear therapeutic targets.