Stem Cell Bazaar

First broadcast October 2007

Do stem cells really offer a miracle cure?

Stem cells are the building blocks of life. With the potential to grow into any type of tissue in the body, they seem to offer hope for patients with nowhere else to turn.

Patients with muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's and severed spinal chords are travelling thousands of miles and spending thousands of dollars on stem cell treatments - even though they know there is no guarantee of a cure.

Part One: Vulnerable

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Who are the people targeting hundreds of patients by offering an untested therapy - which experts say had little chance of working?

Meet the genuine doctors who are at the leading edge of this new medical territory on the efficacy of stem cell procedures.

India in particular is at the forefront of these efforts. But are private clinics in Delhi and Mumbai flourishing because of a legal loophole, rather than because they are at the cutting edge of science?

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