Institutional
High weightNIH, FDA, ISSCR, and official hospitals and universities are the main reference for definitions, regulation, programs and verified roles.
Sources and method
How the site was built, and how to read the evidence.
For a topic like stem cells, collecting links is not enough. You need to distinguish between institutional sources, basic research, clinical trials, center profiles, popular-science pages and commercial content. This page explains the method used on the site.
Editorial method
Four rules used throughout the site
First: favor institutional or official sources when the point concerns regulation, clinical programs, center profiles or professional roles.
Second: always distinguish between research, preclinical work, trials and standard clinical use, without letting one level slide into another.
Third: do not use absolute rankings of doctors or centers unless there is a transparent and comparable basis.
Fourth: make it explicit when a citation is used only to document a role or a public presence, not to certify universal clinical excellence.
Questions to always ask
- Who published it: an institution, a research group or a company that sells something?
- Is it about basic research, ongoing clinical trials or a treatment that is already approved and standard?
- Is it clear which cells are being discussed (origin, type, how they are produced)?
- Does it state limitations, risks and regulatory status (approved, experimental or unauthorized)?
- How recent is it? In a fast-moving field, an older source may be out of date.
Source categories
Which sources carry more weight, and for what
Scientific societies and programs
Medium-high weightUseful for guidelines, professional standards and the international picture of the field.
News and popular science
Limited weightUseful for context or public presence, but not enough on their own to support clinical claims or hierarchies of authority.
Hierarchy of evidence
What counts most when the question is clinical
Institutional level
FDA notices, ISSCR guidelines, and official hospital and university pages carry more weight for regulatory status, clinical programs and documented roles.
Clinical level
Transplant units, hospital programs and facility profiles count when they describe activities, indications and organization, but they do not replace comparative effectiveness data.
Basic level
Laboratory research and popular-science articles help in understanding the field, but they should not be mistaken for proof of clinical availability or therapeutic superiority.
Main sources
References used on the site
- NIH Stem Cell Information
- NIH Common Fund: Stem Cells
- MedlinePlus: Stem Cells
- FDA: Patient and Consumer Information on Regenerative Medicine Therapies
- FDA Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products
- ISSCR Guidelines
- EuroStemCell: Regulation of unproven stem cell therapies
- San Raffaele: Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant (in Italian)
- San Matteo: Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (in Italian)
- Bambino Gesù: Oncohematology Therapies (in Italian)
- Unimore, Centro di Medicina Rigenerativa “Stefano Ferrari” (in Italian)
- JST Science Japan: first approvals of iPSC-derived products (2026)
- Sumitomo Pharma: AMCHEPRY (raguneprocel)
- Cuorips: RiHEART
- FDA: Waskyra
- EMA: Waskyra
- Fondazione Telethon: approval of Waskyra
- EMA: Zemcelpro
- EMA: Holoclar
- EMA: Alofisel (withdrawn)
- ANSA: Holostem in liquidation, July 7, 2026 (in Italian)
- Università Europea di Roma: Fernando Colao (in Italian)
- GVM: Dr. Fernando Colao (in Italian)
- Versiliana Festival: public event on stem cells (in Italian)
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute: George Daley and iPS cells
- Gladstone: Shinya Yamanaka
Source profiles
How some key sources were weighed
NIH Stem Cell Information
Used as the institutional basis for general definitions, the properties of stem cells and an introductory overview of the field.
FDA Consumer Information and Consumer Alert
Used for the passages on unapproved products, risks to patients and the need to distinguish clinical trials from commercial offers.
ISSCR Guidelines
Used to anchor the site to a professional, international framework on clinical translation and good conduct in the field.
Related reading
Two useful pages to read alongside the method
Advanced glossary
It collects terms such as pluripotency, iPSC, organoid and autologous, with cautious definitions and stated sources.
Scientific FAQ
It makes the site's methodological rules on claims, clinical trials and the limits of interpretation more practical.