Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images From Central America to Ukraine, unlicensed clinics are offering stem cell therapies as a treatment for autism. Stem cells are used mainly to treat blood disease. Their effectiveness on autism is unproven and the FDA has not licensed their use for the condition. One prominent clinic providing such treatment is Panama's Stem Cell Institute, whose founder has celebrity backing. Experts told Business insider the clinic gains legitimacy from a program at Duke University researching stem cells and autism. Parents seeking treatment for autistic children at unlicensed clinics cite Duke's work as a justification, although it has produced no proof the treatments work.