Stem cells may aid heart attack recovery

From the article: A second group of scientists led by Hung-Fat Tse from the University of Hong Kong treated eight patients with stem cells from their own bone marrow and also observed an improvement in blood flow to the heart.
Last April, Australian surgeons carried out the world's first trial using bone-marrow stem cells to repair heart damage in a 74-year-old man.
Researchers hope to use stem cells to treat a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, brain disorders and diabetes.
The work is controversial because of the ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic and fetal cells. Using adult stem cells culled from bone marrow solves that dilemma -- as well as potential problems with tissue rejection.

It seems to me that research and development into this realm of medicine will occur outside the US, and that for us to take advantage of it we will have to travel abroad.

"It seems to me that research and development into this realm of medicine will occur outside the US, and that for us to take advantage of it we will have to travel abroad."

Uh, there are NO limitations on the use of NON-FETAL stem cells in the US, either for research or application. Research (which this is) is more fungible than oil. You can book it that if this approach passes FDA scrutiny, the treatment WILL be available in the US.

Talked to a lady on an airplane who works as a mech engineer for a medical company. They currently manufacture cardio intervention stuff like the stint they put in the VP's clogged artery. She said her company was already trying to design a machine that you plug one end into the patients femur to extract marrow, the machine separates the stem cells out, and injects them directly into the damaged heart tissue. That way there is no handling time or chance of introducing an infection. Evidently, her company thinks this stem regeneration treatment is going to work.

"Evidently, her company thinks this stem regeneration treatment is going to work."

Excellent news. I think stem cells have a great deal of promise, but I think we can get there without getting into the ethical quagmire that use of fetal stem cells involves.

My guess is that "specific-organ" adult stem cells is actually MORE likely to be the "magic bullet" then undifferentiated fetal cells. Much less likely to start growing molars in your brain, for instance.

Gun ownership may prevent heart atttacks. Let's pass 'em out!

Two teams of doctors from Germany and Hong Kong reported promising results after transplanting stem cells extracted from bone marrow into heart muscle, although they said more research was needed on the procedure.

Sheesh, and they didn't even have to create life and take life to do it.

As a member of the stented class, if and when it happens again I'll take my stem cells from bone marrow but I won't be taking any harvested from killed embryo's.

On a tangentially related note...

Would Christopher Reeve SINCERELY turn down the chance for a new body cloned from himself which could potentially house his memories and consciousness? What if we can clone a human NOT to have the parts of the brain associated with sophisticated human thought? Then Christopher Reeve's memory lobes could theoretically be transferred to the new, more primitive version of his brain in the walking version of himself. Shouldn't he (and similarly situated folks) get the chance to make the decision?

Prove the technique with animal models, then we'll discuss it. The Raelians are hard after this approach to 'immortality', don'tchaknow! But the wrongheadedness of doing it in human beings first is the issue. As noted above, the success of this procedure rests with stem cells from the patient, not from another individual human exploited for their body parts.

Shades of "SOILANT GREEN". The first step.

Using adult stem cells culled from bone marrow solves that dilemma -- as well as potential problems with tissue rejection.

DUH! I guess! There has been so much good news from the adult stem cell front; too bad it doesn't make it in to the mainstream press very often. That would, of course, mess with the liberals plan of pushing the embryonic stem cells as the only way to go.

Development of adult stem cell therapies is not impeded in any way in the United States. There will be no crying need to go abroad.

Shouldn't he (and similarly situated folks) get the chance to make the decision?

No, he should not get the chance to abuse his twin (identical twins share the same DNA code, but are different persons), nor should he get the chance to create a crippled twin.

He should get the opportunity to volunteer himself as one of the first test subjects for nerve regeneration through ADULT stem cell therapy.

On a tangentially related note... Would Christopher Reeve SINCERELY turn down the chance for a new body cloned from himself which could potentially house his memories and consciousness?

Hell, no. He apparently wouldn't turn down a body molded from the pureed bodies of aborted children, either, since he's an advocate of harvesting stem-cells from them in hopes of finding a cure for his condition.

What if we can clone a human NOT to have the parts of the brain associated with sophisticated human thought?

Does the failure to possess/generate "sophisticated human thought(s)" mean an individual, cloned or otherwise, is any less human - or any less of of an American citizen with certain inalienable rights? What's being proposed here is, quite literally, the creation of a new slave class who serve (or die) at the whims of the pre-existing class. You're already proposed cloning people to be walking organ banks. Why not clone them to be sex toys (it's not rape if they have no rights)? Body doubles to replace Hollywood stunt men (why fake throwing a guy off a building, when you can film the real deal using a clone of the actor)? A solution to world famine (see Johnathan Swift's A Modest Proposal for ideas)?

Since now we're allowing for medical experimentation on any human-DNA-bearing-units who lack ""sophisticated human thought", why not turn to the infirmed or retarded for resources to help ol' Reeve out? Barring that, why not just take an existing person out of the general population and have them pithed, like some unfortunate frog in a high school biology class? Let's not keep Christopher Reeve waiting.

Let's turn this argument on it's head. Let's say that scientists have discovered a way to reverse Parkinson's Disease, via a device that can be worn by the sufferer. Problem is, there's a crucial component required to produce such a device, said components are no longer being produced, and the only source of said components are the breathing apparatuses worn by quadraplegics who cannot breathe on their own - such as the one used by Christopher Reeve. Should the Parkinson's researchers be allowed to storm Mr Reeve's home, forcibly remove the apparatus from his wheelchair (leaving Christopher Reeve to suffocate to death) because Michael J. Fox needs the device to cure his own disease?