PRO-LIFE/PRO-BABY PING!
Posted on 08/19/2005 12:53:47 PM PDT by yoe
A reported breakthrough in stem cell research may lend new weight to the campaign against the use of human embryos in research, one of the most pressing ethical controversies facing governments in the U.S. and elsewhere.
American and British researchers say that they have found, in umbilical cord blood, a new type of cell -- neither embryonic nor "adult" -- which is more versatile than the latter while avoiding the ethical dilemmas surrounding the former.
And in a further development, the scientists have found a way to mass-produce the new cells, sidestepping the problem of limited supply of embryonic cells.
The cord-blood-derived-embryonic-like stem cells (CBEs) share many of the same characteristics of embryonic cells and one day might be used to treat injuries or diseases.
The researchers already have successfully turned the cells into human liver tissue.
Using microgravity technology developed by NASA to simulate the weightlessness of space, researchers at London's Kingston University succeeded in cultivating colonies of CBEs, derived from blood taken from a newborn baby's umbilical cord.
"CBEs are a viable human alternative from embryonic stem cells for stem cell research, without ethical constraint and with potential for clinical applications," study leader Dr Colin McGuckin said in the medical journal Cell Proliferation.
"Adult" stem cells, derived from such sources as placentas or bone marrow, have been held up as an ethical alternative to the use of embryonic cells, which pro-lifers oppose because the early-stage human embryo is destroyed when the cells are harvested.
Aside from the ethics, embryonic cells have displayed a tendency to produce cancerous tumors called teratomas. There is also the "scientific hindrance" posed by difficulties in producing the large quantities needed.
But adult cells - which unlike embryonic ones are already being used on patients -- also have some limitations, scientists say: restricted versatility and potential immune reaction problems.
McGuckin said the newly discovered CBEs, for the first time, "bring together the essential qualities of both" embryonic and adult cells.
The research, funded by the British government, was carried out in collaboration with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston.
"Until now, experts have struggled to find a supply of cells in sufficient numbers that does not offend previous critics of stem cell research," UTMB said in a statement. "The latest advance looks set to overcome such difficulties."
In the U.S. and other parts of the world, cord blood banks offer a service -- at a cost -- of saving and preserving cord blood for parents in case the cells should be needed in the future to treat illnesses in the child or another family member.
The discovery of CBEs could spur on the process of setting up a worldwide stock of cells that could be used in future therapies.
"With a global birth rate of 100 million babies a year, there is a better chance of getting the right tissue type for the many patients out there waiting for stem cell therapy," McGuckin said in a statement.
"There is also far less likelihood of such cells being rejected when they are transplanted into people with liver disease, for example."
Four years after President Bush restricted the use of taxpayers' dollars for human embryonic stem cell research, the issue is as contentious as ever.
A bill expanding federal funding for the work has passed the House, and is now before the Senate, where majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) late last month stunned Americans on both sides of the debate by expressing support for the measure.
The president has declared his intention to veto the bill, and the White House said on the day of Frist's announcement that the position had not changed.
In an Aug. 8 Gallup poll for CNN and USA Today, 56 percent of respondents backed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research while 40 percent opposed it. An earlier Gallup poll, on May 26, went 60-33 in favor of federal funding.
If grants, funding from government and other organizations were not involved, the research would most likely stay within ethical bounds - thus far, compliance is not mandatory. Not all stem cell research is unethical, though the lines are already blurred, there is some straight forward ethical research going on. Our President is most correct in being cautious however, I hope Frist rethinks his "popular" flip-flop position –for votes.
The researchers already have successfully turned the cells into human liver tissue. The "researchers" have successfully turned cells into far more than this article tells and it is scary!
yoe, you said The "researchers" have successfully turned cells into far more than this article tells and it is scary!
What have they done with these cells that is scary? Do you have a source? I'm interested.
Next thing there'll be spam showing up in e-mail for new penises grown from embryonic like stem cells that men can special order to size.
Next thing there'll be spam showing up in e-mail for new penises grown from embryonic like stem cells that men can special order to size.
Just God letting science know when something is a no-no.
But..but... what will they do with the leftover bio-mass collected at the abortion clinics?
Soylent Green?
What else, and why scary?
I'm thinking that this sounds like a pretty promising direction for Type I diabetics -- perhaps there's a way to produce islet cells for the pancreas that don't trigger the automimmune response that causes the disorder.
Yes, there are no moral absolutes, only offended people.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
The abortion industry is just that -- an industry. As such, it seeks to maximize profits.
Like any other industry, it seeks to sell its waste products for profit.
THAT, I argue, is one big reason that many folks argue for embryonic stem-cell research -- it allows embryos to be sold for profit.
Perzactly! Look at my profile page....I wrote something similar several years back.
This should be an acceptable alternative, but lawsuits will probably kill off the industry before it gets going. We'll be lucky to get aspirin 20 years from now, not to mention factory-grown replacement organs.
You notice it doesn't say "End Debate". That's because there the organization, Planned Parenthood, is still functioning to promote abortion.
I seem to recall that they have already made some inroads in that direction, it is one of the things that called attention to using the stem cells from the blood. I could be wrong and can't find a link or the original article, but pretty sure I read it!:)
Here you go:
Expectant Parents
Diseases Treated with Cord bloodStem Cells
Stem cell transplants have been used since the 1960’s to treat a variety of diseases. In 1988 cord blood stem cells were used for the first time in hematopoietic (blood) stem cell transplantation. Umbilical cord blood stem cells have now been used in over 3,500 transplants worldwide as a valuable alternative to traditional sources of hematopoietic stem cells. Utilizing the process of stem cell banking, cord blood stem cells also show great promise for potential future applications including treatment and repair of non-hematopoietic tissues, gene therapies, mini-transplants, among others.
Current Stem Cell Applications
Potential Future Applications
Download list in pdf format
Current Stem Cell Applications
Acute Leukemia’s
Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia (ALL)
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia
Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia
Chronic Leukemia’s
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Juvenile Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (JCML)
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML)
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Refractory Anemia (RA)
Refractory Anemia with Ringed Sideroblasts (RARS)
Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts (RAEB)
Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts in Transformation (RAEB-T)
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML)
Stem Cell Disorders
Aplastic Anemia (Severe)
Fanconi Anemia
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
Pure Red Cell Aplasia
Myeloproliferative Disorders
Acute Myelofibrosis
Agnogenic Myeloid Metaplasia (myelofibrosis)
Polycythemia Vera
Essential Thrombocythemia
Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Hodgkin's Disease
Phagocyte Disorders
Chediak-Higashi Syndrome
Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Neutrophil Actin Deficiency
Reticular Dysgenesis
Other Inherited Disorders
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome
Cartilage-Hair Hypoplasia
Glanzmann Thrombasthenia
Osteopetrosis
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Inherited Platelet Abnormalities
Amegakaryocytosis / Congenital Thrombocytopenia
Inherited Metabolic Disorders
Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)
Hurler's Syndrome (MPS-IH)
Scheie Syndrome (MPS-IS)
Hunter's Syndrome (MPS-II)
Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS-III)
Morquio Syndrome (MPS-IV)
Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome (MPS-VI)
Sly Syndrome, Beta-Glucuronidase Deficiency (MPS-VII)
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Mucolipidosis II (I-cell Disease)
Krabbe Disease
Gaucher's Disease
Niemann-Pick Disease
Wolman Disease
Metachromatic Leukodystrophy
Histiocytic Disorders
Familial Erythrophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Histiocytosis-X
Hemophagocytosis
Inherited Erythrocyte Abnormalities
Beta Thalassemia Major
Sickle Cell Disease
Inherited Immune System Disorders
Ataxia-Telangiectasia
Kostmann Syndrome
Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency
DiGeorge Syndrome
Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome
Omenn's Syndrome
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
SCID with Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency
Absence of T & B Cells SCID
Absence of T Cells, Normal B Cell SCID
Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome
X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disorder
Plasma Cell Disorders
Multiple Myeloma
Plasma Cell Leukemia
Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia
Amyloidosis
Other Malignancies
Ewing Sarcoma
Neuroblastoma
Renal Cell Carcinoma
Retinoblastoma
Potential Future Stem Cell Applications
Alzheimer’s Disease
Cardiac Disease
Diabetes
Lupus
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Parkinson’s Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Spinal Cord Injury
Stroke
This list represents major categories of diseases treated with stem cells and is not exhaustive. For instance, there are over twenty (20) specific types of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and numerous types of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, to name just two among many others.
Other cord blood banks include diseases such as breast cancer and testicular cancer. CorCell has chosen not to include these diseases as clinical data has demonstrated that these diseases are not effectively treated with stem cell transplantation.
To download the Diseases Treated with Stem Cells listing in pdf format, click here.
Here's another article you may find interesting.
Adult Stem Cells: It's Not Pie-in-the-Sky
February 3, 2005
by Carrie Gordon Earll
Embryonic stem cells have not cured or successfully treated a single patient. Contrast that with the more than 70 conditions that are treatable using non-embryonic stem cell therapies.
One of the hottest debates in bioethics today surrounds research using stem cells taken from either in vitro fertilization or cloned human embryos. From state legislatures and the halls of Congress to the United Nation, the controversy over whether to ban (or fund) such research rages.
Human cloning for embryonic stem cell research creates human embryos virtually identical to a patient’s genetic composition. The embryo’s stem cells are then harvested — a process that always destroys the embryo. The same fatal process to collect human embryonic stem cells is also used to destroy embryos formed by in vitro fertilization.
Speculation regarding the scientific promise of human embryonic stem cells leads some to dismiss the ethical questions raised by the embryo's destruction. However, embryonic stem cells (human or animal) have not “cured” or treated a single human patient.
Fortunately, there are alternative sources of stem cells for research that do not require the destruction of human life.
Non-embryonic (or adult) stem cells are readily available in sources such as bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, the pancreas and brain, and no lives are lost in the collection process. Currently, more than 70 identified diseases and disabilities that are treatable using non-embryonic stem cells, including breast cancer, leukemia and sickle cell anemia. 1 Researchers also have successfully treated patients with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, heart damage and spinal cord injuries using non-embryonic stem cell sources.
Adult stem cells provide tangible results to patients today. Consider these examples:
Tangible Therapies for Today
Acute Myloid Leukemia – Sixteen-year-old Nathan Salley is alive today, thanks to stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Nathan told a congressional subcommittee, "I am living proof that there are promising and useful alternatives to embryonic stem cell research. . . . Embryonic stem cell research did not save me – cord blood research did."2
Diabetes – Eleven out of 15 Type 1 diabetes patients are "completely off insulin" after receiving adult pancreatic cell transplants.3
Diabetes – Researchers at Harvard Medical School used animal adult stem cells to grow new islet cells to combat diabetes. Researcher Denise Faustman recalled, "It was astonishing! We had reversed the disease without the need for transplants." Plans for human trials are underway.4
Heart Disease – German heart specialist Bodo Eckehard Strauer successfully treated a heart patient using stem cells from the man's bone marrow: "Even patients with the most seriously damaged hearts can be treated with their own stem cells instead of waiting and hoping on a transplant," Dr. Strauer explained.5
Heart Disease - "Four out of five seriously sick Brazilian heart-failure patients no longer needed a heart transplant after being treated with their own stem cells." 6
Heart Disease - “Patients with heart failure experienced a marked improvement after being given injections of their own stem cells,” thanks to research at the University of Pittsburgh. 7
Heart Disease - Dr. Eduardo Marban, chief of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, called the use of adult stem cells to treat failing hearts, “[t]he single most exciting development in cardiology in the last decade.” 8
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – Thirty-six-year old Susan Stross is one of more than 20 MS patients whose conditions have remained steady or improved after receiving an adult stem cell transplant. The same results are reported with several hundred patients worldwide.9
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - Research conducted by Dr. Mark Freedman at the University of Ottawa suggests that most of the 32 MS patients in the trial “experienced clinical stabilization or improvement of symptoms.” 10
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma – Forty-year-old Mark Fulford was not a match for a conventional bone marrow transplant, so doctors turned to stem cells found in umbilical cord blood. "There are people alive now who wouldn't have been without this, and I'm living proof."11
Paralysis/Spinal Cord Injury - There are nearly 60 documentable cases of quadripelgic and parapelgic patients who have regained some mobility, bladder control, and sensation in their limbs after recieving adult stem cell transplants from cord blood, bone marrow, and nasal tissue. Here are 5 of those success stories:
After sustaining paralyzing spinal cord injuries, Susan Fajt, Laura Dominguez and Erica Nader of the U.S. are each regaining muscle control and walking with the aid of braces due to stem-cell transplants from their own nasal cavities conducted in Portugal. Six paralyzed Russian patients are also walking thanks to a similar therapy. 12
Maria da Graca Pomeceno of Brazil regained her ability to walk and talk after a bone marrow stem-cell transplant from her pelvis. 13
Treatment using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood allow Hwang Mi-Soon of South Korean to walk again with the aid of a walker. “This is already a miracle for me,” says Mi-Soon. 14
Parkinson’s Disease - A California man with Parkinson's disease experienced more than an 80 percent reduction in his symptoms after he received an injection of his own neuronal (brain) stem cells. Dennis Turner says before the treatment, “I couldn’t put my contact lenses in without a big problem. Now it’s not problem.” 15
Sickle Cell Anemia – In his struggle against sickle cell anemia, seventeen-year old Keone Penn experienced suicidal thoughts before an umbilical cord blood transplant cured him of the disease. Today, Penn says, “Sickle cell is now part of my past…Cord blood saved my life.” 16
Stroke - Catholic University of Korea researchers report “great improvement in the paralysis symptoms and speech disorders” in three of five stroke patients who received transplants with their own bone marrow stem cells. 17
Stroke - Brazilian doctors will test a similar treatment on 15 patients after encouraging results with one stroke patient. 18
Do you have URLs for those examples?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.