During the legislative term that concluded last week, Texas lawmakers approved a measure that would legalize certain unrecognized stem cell therapies.
As STAT.com reports, this means Texas is the first state legislature to explicitly give these experimental treatments the go-ahead.
But the deal isn’t done yet; Gov. Greg Abbott still has to sign the bill.
Some clinics nationwide have been offering these treatments “under the radar” for years, skirting the law to give potentially life-saving aid to terminally ill patients. However, others in the medical community warn that these treatments could be harmful if not closely watched and contained.
The Texas bill would require treatments to be approved by an institutional review board and administered by a doctor at a recognized medical facility.