Wicked policy issues in regenerative medicine and the need to explore new avenues for public engagement

Medicine Maker: An Outreach Activity for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Health Literacy

Public engagement in medicine has become more important in promoting population health management and literacy. Medicine is a topic of great societal importance, and many public engagement activities have been developed to promote this area. However, they often narrowly focus on patient groups, diseases, a singular pharmaceutical drug or analytical technique. Despite the importance of these activities, general audiences are still heavily reliant on doctors and pharmacists for information about their medicine and lack basic knowledge around medication use and personal safety. Given this, a broader engagement approach is warranted to target health literacy among the wider public. "Medicine Maker" is a hands-on public engagement workshop that provides audiences with the opportunity to "manufacture" and inspect the quality of proxy or "dummy" medicine through guided inquiry. Here, we detail the development of the Medicine Maker workshop from its origins in the teaching of Irish third-level pharmacy students, to its initial application with a variety of lay audiences. Formal and informal feedback from participants indicates that the workshop can help foster a more critical understanding of medicine manufacturing, quality control, and personal health.

Contact us for more information: an analysis of public enquiries about stem cells

Aim: This study examines online enquiries received by two prominent stem cell science initiatives operating in different geographical jurisdictions. Materials & methods: Combined quantitative and qualitative analysis undertaken of internet-based queries (n = 1047) received by Stem Cells Australia and EuroStemCell from members of the public over a two-year period (May 2014–2016). Results: Findings reveal striking similarities between the two datasets and highlight the range of uncertainties, priorities and needs of those seeking information about stem cells online. Conclusion: Sustained and in-depth tailored guidance is needed to effectively meet the diverse stem cell-related information-based needs of communities internationally. Such efforts should be prioritized by regenerative medicine research initiatives and organizations, given the trust and hope diverse publics appear to place in these groups.

Selling stem cell ‘treatments’ as research: prospective customer perspectives from crowdfunding campaigns

Aim: To better understand how prospective customers interpret claims of businesses marketing unproven stem cell products that they are engaging in research activities. Materials & methods: The authors examined 408 crowdfunding campaigns for unproven stem cell interventions for references to research activities. Results: The authors identified three overarching themes: research as a signifier of scientific credibility; the experimental nature of stem cells as a rationale for noncoverage by insurers; and contributing to the advancement of science by engaging in research. Conclusion: The NIH, US FDA and others should be concerned about being co-opted to misrepresent the nature of these businesses’ activities. Efforts are also needed to better inform those considering purchasing unproven stem cell interventions about their relationship to legitimate research.