Not for Use

A Medical University of South Carolina researcher was arrested and accused of supplying stem cells for unapproved therapies, reports Nature's News Blog. According to the indictment, Vincent Dammai received umbilical cord blood from Global Laboratories, which received it from a licensed midwife, who was also arrested. Dammai allegedly then derived cord blood stem cells and sent them back to Global. Another man then allegedly claimed he was a doctor, promoted the benefits of stem cell treatments, and traveled to Mexico to treat patients, the News Blog adds. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation says the defendants made more than $1.5 million. A MUSC spokesperson tells Nature that Dammai is on administrative leave, and that the school did not know about the alleged activities.