The doctor, ­Robert Trossel, is accused of sending patients from the UK to his Rotterdam clinic, where for up to £12,000 they could be injected with stem cells to help halt degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. It has been suggested that Trossel's clinic was supplied by another firm, Advanced Cell Therapeutics, which offered to inject 400 booked patients in offshore waters on a ferry.

The charges are that he offered, and made false claims about, treatments with stem cell therapy. Trossel denies the allegations against him.

Stem cell scientists say they fear public confidence in their work risks being undermined by clinics that make false claims. Robin Lovell-Badge, head of stem cell biology at the National Institute for Medical Research, said: "To have charlatans trying … to make money from desperate patients is just terrible for the field."

The Human Tissue Authority, which regulates stem cell use in the UK, inspects licensed clinics to ensure safety and quality. The International Society for Stem Cell Research has issued patient guidelines.

Source: guardian.co.uk  © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010 (11/01/10)