ArticleStem cell research & therapy2023
Uncovering the gray zone: mapping the global landscape of direct-to-consumer businesses offering interventions based on secretomes, extracellular vesicles, and exosomes.
Article in Stem cell research & therapy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exosomes Exposed: Overview Systematic Review on Evidence Versus Expectation in Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Regulatory Science of Extracellular Vesicles: From ISEV Standards to Translational Implementation (Insights From Japan).Journal of extracellular vesicles · 2026Review
- Exosomes in precision dermatology: From biomarkers to targeted therapeutics in personalized care.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2026Review
- Beyond Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Hype: Practical Solutions and Remaining Hurdles in EV Research, Manufacturing, and Clinical Translation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Safety Assessment of Extracellular Vesicle-Based Therapy in Regenerative Dentistry.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- A Reliability Tier Classification System (RTCS) for Marketed Exosome-Based Products to Facilitate Clinical Decision-Making.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026Article
- Harnessing Nanocarriers to Advance Vaccine Development.BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy · 2026Review
- Promises and Pitfalls of Regenerative Therapies for Androgenetic Alopecia: Platelet-Rich Plasma, Photobiomodulation, Stem Cells, and Exosomes.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Exploring Regulatory Frameworks for Exosome Therapy: Insights and Perspectives.Health care science · 2025Article
- Navigating the Global Regulatory Landscape for Exosome-Based Therapeutics: Challenges, Strategies, and Future Directions.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Precision Neuro-Oncology in Glioblastoma: AI-Guided CRISPR Editing and Real-Time Multi-Omics for Genomic Brain Surgery.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Application of StandardizedPharmaceutics · 2025Article
- Exosome Revolution or Marketing Mirage? AI-Based Multi-domain Evaluation of Claims, Scientific Evidence, Transparency, Public Sentiment, and Media Narratives.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Article
- Nanomaterials targeting cancer stem cells to overcome drug resistance and tumor recurrence.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Review
- Cancer and Secretomes: HLA-G and Cancer Puzzle.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- The Anti-Aging Effects of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes on Skin and Their Potential for Personalized Skincare Applications.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Review
- The urgent need for clear and concise regulations on exosome-based interventions.Stem cell reports · 2024Article
- Standardized Reporting of Research on Exosomes to Ensure Rigor and Reproducibility.Advances in wound care · 2024Review
- The evolution and ongoing challenge of unproven cell-based interventions.Stem cells translational medicine · 2024Review
- Exosomes in the Real World of Medical Aesthetics: A Review.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe last decade has seen a significant increase in media attention, industrial growth, and patient interest in stem cell-based interventions. This led to a rise in direct-to-consumer businesses offering stem cell "therapies" for multiple indications with little evidence of safety and efficacy. In parallel, the use of stem cell secretomes as a substitute for stem cell transplantation has become an increasing trend in regenerative medicine with multiple clinical trials currently assessing their efficacy and safety profile. As a result, multiple businesses and private clinics have now started to exploit this situation and are offering secretome-based interventions despite the lack of supporting data. This poses significant risks for the patients and could lead to a credibility crisis in the field.
methodsInternet searches were used to locate clinics marketing and selling interventions based on stem cell secretomes, exosomes, or extracellular vesicles. Data were extracted from websites with a particular focus on the global distribution of the businesses, the cellular source of the secretome, the indication spectrum, and the pricing of the provided services. Lastly, the types of evidence used on the websites of the businesses to market their services were extracted.
resultsOverall, 114 companies market secretome-based therapies in 28 countries. The vast majority of the interventions are based on allogenic stem cells from undisclosed cellular sources and skin care is the most marketed indication. The price range is USD99-20,000 depending on the indication.
conclusionsThe direct-to-consumer industry for secretome-based therapies appears to be primed for growth in the absence of appropriate regulatory frameworks and guidelines. We conclude that such business activity requires tight regulations and monitoring by the respective national regulatory bodies to prevent patients from being conned and more importantly from being put at risk.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.