Costa Rica shuts stem cell clinic

Costa Rica has ordered the country's largest stem cell clinic to stop offering treatment, saying there is no proof it is effective. About 400 patients, mostly foreigners from the United States, have been treated at the Institute of Cellular Medicine in San Jose for multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal injuries and other illnesses. The clinic had used stem cells extracted from patients and reinjected them into their bodies. It has a permit to store the stem cells extracted from patients' own fat tissue, bone marrow and donated umbilical cords, but is not authorized to perform the treatment. Reuters