UST Students Present a Paper in Rome

May Valencia and Charlene Versoza, both UST students,got the chance to be part of the international gathering of university students in Rome last April 2015. Through their adviser from Iraya, they learned, discussed and wrote about UNIV 2014 theme: Cosmos: The Ecology of Man and His Environment.  Below is the the abstract of their  paper presented in Rome, Italy:

Safeguarding the Integrity of the Human Person:
A Case of the Regulation of Stem Cell Therapy in the Philippines
Due to technological developments, the healthcare environment is constantly facing change.  Concretely, Adult Stem Cell Therapy has suddenly become a popular alternative for medical needs. This event has brought stem cell tourism in a boom that is, offering this unproven treatment to those who can afford the expensive services. This is a challenge healthcare has to face particularly in safeguarding the integrity of the human person. The Department of Health in the Philippines has taken steps into circulating guidelines to regulate the growing stem cell tourism in the country but it has not clarified whether the Adult Stem Cell therapy is still a research or a treatment. This paper aims to find out if the current Adult Stem Cell Therapy is research or a treatment and what regulations are in place for these procedures.  From the data gathered, it can be concluded that majority still consider Adult Stem Cell Therapy as research and not treatment; and that there are efforts from the government to regulate these procedures.  Recommendations include providing of clearer guidelines and stricter implementation of regulations.