Texas Penal Code 48.04 – Prohibition On Purchase and Sale of Adult Stem Cells for Certain Investigational Treatments
(a) In this section:
(1) “Adult stem cell” means an undifferentiated cell that is:
(A) found in differentiated tissue; and
(B) able to renew itself and differentiate to yield all or nearly all of the specialized cell types of the tissue from which the cell originated.
(2) “Investigational stem cell treatment” means an adult stem cell treatment that:
(A) is under investigation in a clinical trial and being administered to human participants in that trial; and
(B) has not yet been approved for general use by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly offers to buy, offers to sell, acquires, receives, sells, or otherwise transfers any adult stem cells for valuable consideration for use in an investigational stem cell treatment.
Terms Used In Texas Penal Code 48.04
- Actor: means a person whose criminal responsibility is in issue in a criminal action. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Benefit: means anything reasonably regarded as economic gain or advantage, including benefit to any other person in whose welfare the beneficiary is interested. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Conduct: means an act or omission and its accompanying mental state. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Donor: The person who makes a gift.
- Misdemeanor: means an offense so designated by law or punishable by fine, by confinement in jail, or by both fine and confinement in jail. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Person: means an individual or a corporation, association, limited liability company, or other entity or organization governed by the Business Organizations Code. See Texas Penal Code 1.07
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) It is an exception to the application of this section that the valuable consideration is:
(1) a fee paid to a physician or to other medical personnel for services rendered in the usual course of medical practice or a fee paid for hospital or other clinical services;
(2) reimbursement of legal or medical expenses incurred for the benefit of the ultimate receiver of the investigational stem cell treatment; or
(3) reimbursement of expenses of travel, housing, and lost wages incurred by the donor of adult stem cells in connection with the donation of the adult stem cells.
(d) It is an exception to the application of this section that the actor engaged in conduct authorized under Chapter 162, Health and Safety Code.
(e) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor.