With Texas pouring millions of dollars into developing adult stem-cell treatments, doctors there are already injecting paying customers with unproven preparations, supplied by Celltex Therapeutics, which “multiplies and banks” stem cells derived from people’s abdominal fat and houses the largest stem-cell bank in the United States.

Texas governor Rick Perry, for instance, has had stem-cell injections to treat a back complaint1, and has supported legislation to help create banks to store patients’ harvested stem cells.

The FDA has not approved any such stem-cell treatment for routine clinical use.