Right to Try Unproven Therapies with George Q. Daley, Dean of Harvard Medical School

The right to try unproven therapies for patients facing life-threatening diseases is a complex issue in medicine. George Q. Daley, Dean of Harvard Medical School, emphasizes the institution's role in shaping innovative physicians while acknowledging ethical concerns surrounding unproven treatments. He and Bioethicist Insoo Hyun explore the emotional and spiritual factors that complicate the topic, recognizing that real-life decisions for seriously ill patients and their families go beyond academic arguments.
There are significant risks to consider, including unproven treatments' potential for harm, the lack of comprehensive safety data, and the risk of exploiting vulnerable patients. Ethical principles in medicine stress the importance of doing no harm and making decisions based on the best available evidence. Clinically unproven treatments often lack the rigorous testing necessary to establish their safety and efficacy, potentially undermining the integrity of the medical profession and diverting patients from more appropriate interventions. These practical and ethical complexities underscore the importance of a thoughtful and compassionate approach to this challenging issue.
George Q. Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School and the Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine at HMS, is an internationally recognized leader in stem cell science and cancer biology. He is also a longtime member of the HMS faculty whose work spans the fields of basic science and clinical medicine. Beyond his research, Daley has been a principal figure in developing international guidelines for conducting stem cell research and for the clinical translation of stem cells, particularly through his work with the International Society for Stem Cell Research, for which he has served in several leadership positions, including president (2007-08). He has also testified before Congress and spoken in forums worldwide on the scientific and ethical dimensions of stem cell research and its promise in treating disease.
Insoo Hyun is Director of Research Ethics and a faculty member of the Center for Bioethics and senior lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also Director at the Center for Life Sciences and Public Learning at the Boston Museum of Science. As a Fulbright Scholar and Hastings Center Fellow, Dr. Hyun's interests include ethical and policy issues in stem cell research and new biotechnologies.
00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - Going from Scientist to Dean of Harvard Medical School
01:05- Stem Cell Tourism
03:40 - Spiritual Distress
06:33 - Science and Spirituality
08:54 - Training Doctors at Harvard Medical School
11:09 - How Has Harvard Medical School Changed
13:38 - Right to Try Act
15:42 - Individual Access to Experimental Medicine
18:51 - Risk and Benefits of Experimental Medicine
20:15 - Hope for Patients
21:59 - How Far Medicine has Come
22:46 - Helping Patients Understand How Hard it is to Prove Something Works
23:53 - Harvard Medical School Students Oath
25:34 - Updating The Hippocratic Oath
26:08 - How Challenging it was to Get Success with Stem Cell Therapies
29:04 - Responsible Way for Medical Innovation
32:19 - Medicine as a Profession and Calling
35:42 - Fraudulent Stem Cell Therapies
38:23 - Medical Professionalism
“The Big Question” is a production of the Museum of Science, Boston.
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But wouldn't it be better to let them try a new method or technology if there willing and would die either way.
It just seems like a better chance for hope and even if it cant save them it could contribute to saving someone else.
It just seems sad to accept death without trying first, unless you've already lived a fulfilling life first of course.