Doctors in Russia Prove that Non-Embryonic Stem Cells can be Used in Treating Spinal Cord Injuries

Russian News ^ | 12.06.04 | Novosti

[Coleus]

DOCTORS IN RUSSIA PROVE STEM CELLS CAN BE USED IN TREATING SPINE INJURIES

MOSCOW, December 6 (RIA Novosti) - It has been widely believed until recently that nerve cells cannot reproduce themselves, especially those of the spinal cord. But doctors at the Neurology Clinic of Russia's Blokhin Oncology Research Center have now challenged this belief by performing six successful surgical operations on patients with spine injuries. The patients, thought before the surgery to be bedridden for the rest of their lives, are now learning to walk again, the Trud newspaper reports.

It was Andrei Bryukhovetsky, Director General of the Neurology Clinic, who suggested performing the unprecedented operations, involving the transplantation of stem cells to the spinal cord. At first he was not sure where stem cells for nerve tissues should be taken from, but it soon occurred to him that the mucous membrane of the nose, with its many nerve endings, was the best source. Extracted neural stem cells are grown in tissue culture to be then injected into the damaged spine area, restoring the vertebrae one by one.

"No one has done anything like that before us," Bryukhovetsky says. He and his colleagues emphasize that the work is not about experimenting on humans. They have behind them years of experimentation on animals and rigid panel examinations by the Academy of Sciences and the Health Ministry.

On getting a signal about an organ's malfunction from the body's regulating systems, stem cells rush to the damaged area along blood vessels. They can repair almost any damage by transforming themselves into cells of the type needed by the body at this particular point in time and stimulating its inner reserves toward recovery. Their activity is comparable to that of an ambulance.

If implanted into a cardiac patient's body no later than six days after he/she suffered a heart attack, stem cells will fully restore the heart muscle, leaving no scars, says Vladimir Smirnov, Director of the Experimental Cardiology Institute at the Russian Health Ministry.

Stem cells are also effective in treating for diabetes, impaired joints, cancer, and neurological disorders, doctors say. In the future, stem cells could serve as building blocks in growing transplant organs. They are possible to extract from various sources, including the liver, the subcutaneous fat, the skeletal muscles, and the hair follicles.

In the past two years, scientists have been working to create a universal stem cell, one that could be grown in large numbers and transplanted to the human body without the risk of rejection. If such a cell is eventually created, stem cell preparations will be possible to buy at a pharmacy.

Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Testimonial from Russia: Spinal Cord Injuries Reversed

The Russian news agency Novosti reported Monday that Russian scientists have succeeded in treating six individuals bed-ridden with spinal cord damage using non-embryonic stem cells derived from the patient's own nasal tissues. All six are learning to walk again.

Scientists at the Neurology Clinic of Russia's Blokhin Oncology Research Center removed neural stem cells from the lining of the nose, which were then grown in tissue culture. The resulting cells were injected into damaged areas of the spine, re-growing damaged spinal segments one at a time.

"No one has done anything like that before us," Andrei Bryukhovetsky, Director General of the Neurology Clinic said.

Also, when implanted into damaged cardiac muscle after a heart-attack, stem cells can fully restore the muscles of the heart without any scar tissue, according to Vladimir Smirnov, Director of the Experimental Cardiology Institute at the Russian Health Ministry.

[Bellflower]

ping

[MarMema]

Yup. Same thing my boss rants about.

And ping to you, JB.

[MarMema]

Interested in pinging?

[The Mayor]

Thank you DD..

I will get her here to see this..

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[Apogee]

FWIW, the Russians have always been big on miracle research, particularly if it is inexpensive (they couldn't afford any other kind, perhaps).
However, my best understanding is that Adult stem cells do have a limited functionality - that is, they do work within certain parameters, given that they are somewhat formed already and so have a limited range of further development available to them.
Baby stem cells, because they have not begun to divide and specialize yet, have potential for becoming anything. Of course, the key word here is potential. There has not been any real success yet, and may never be. One problem with getting embryonic stem cells to start growing, for instance, is that a cell that keeps replicating itself the essential ingredient of cancer, which is not a desirable outcome.
In my opinion, people hype stem cell research in their desire to have some sort of ultimate panacea. We can not accept death, or pain and suffering, and will do anything to try to hold on to the hope that we can be gods, rather than surrender.

[Mamzelle]

The nose again! Intriguing. A few days back a Chinese surgeon was using embryonic cells from freshly-killed unborn humans to do something similar to this.

Looks to me, that it's the nose, not the baby, that just might be the key.

[syriacus]

Embyro research is political

I agree.

I think some of the ESCR enthusiasts are anxious to add

"helps quadriplegics"

to their list of

Ten reasons why
killing embryos is a good thing.

[texasflower]

Having been in Russian hospitals I can tell you the level of medical and technical sophistication is well below those of the US.

My dad got sick in Russia about 3 years ago. They were with my sister who was adopting a little girl.

The pediatrician told my sister not to let the baby suck her thumb because her face would be paralyzed and she would never be able to talk or learn. This was a perfectly normal healthy child. The doctor also diagnosed the soft spot on her head as a tumor.

Anyway, about my dad. When he was in the Russian hospital, they talked to a doctor. He said that the only thing they should do is get the heck out of Russia. NOW.

So, they flew him to a Paris hospital. For dehydration and vomiting. That's all that was wrong with him, but they did an emergency flight out of the country.

Scary.

[chuckles]

"Baby stem cells, because they have not begun to divide and specialize yet, have potential for becoming anything."

Propaganda! The, so far have only turned into tumors. Do a "Google" on adult stem cells and see that they have already had good results in several areas. They injected marrow stems into a heart after an attack and healed his heart, cured blindness with marrow stems, etc. The most exciting news lately is they are finding stem cells everywhere in the body. They have found stem cells in the brain repairing brain cells. These came from elsewhere in the body to repair nerves. They are able to harvest these cells and clone them in a dish for more potent use. There is, so far, ZERO success in using embryo stem cells. They are desperate to find a use for aborted babies to justify their murder. Bush found this out when he studied the subject early on. The real research is in adult and cord blood stem cells.

If they can cure spinal injury and diabetes with adult stems, how will they justify SELLING fetal tissue? They are selling fetal tissue to research clinics now! Its a whole new industry.

[Kelly_2000]

This is heresy. Everyone knows it is necessary to mutilate and destroy human embryos to harvest stem cells.

No this is not strictly true a Suadi Arabian team are leading the way in stem cell production form ethically acceptable processes, not involving harvesting from living organisms or embryos. Totopotent science has moved on form those dark days

[Kelly_2000]

Further another team is experimenting with phospholipase C-zeta, the fusion of two haploid cells (in this case an egg and a sperm)are normally required to create a diploid cell that would normally divide mitotically to create a living human organism. During this process the division is interrupted to harvest stem cells. An indefensibly unethical, inhumane and barbaric practice. However the phospholipase C-zeta is a biological trigger that prompts a cell to divide. No need to harvest stem cells from in vitro fertilized eggs.

[Cedar]

"I researched it then and found in no equivocal terms, that cord blood and adult stem cells were showing promise, but embryo stems actually caused trouble, like tumors."

I think this is valuable information. Wonder if the leaders in the pro-life movement are making legislators and the general public aware of this?

[Cedar]

'Have the American people cured of major medical problems? The huge "health care" system in this country just couldn't afford the loss of income in drugs and surgeries.'

Sad, but most likely true.

[Coleus]

If this is true they would have had many successful surgeries since then. >>>

They would? Why do you say this?

[Coleus]

This should be front page news all over the country. >>>

You're right since it would embrace the culture of LIFE.

[tuckrdout]

And the Michael J. Fox foundation as well:

http://www.michaeljfox.org/foundation/contact.php

[airborne]

Ping for your attention.

[Cedar]

Maybe all these efforts to extend life greatly affect the "quality of life" for many people.

For centuries people just died. And though they might not have lived to be 80, yet at least they died at home and without tubes in them, or spending the last months of their lives having blood drawn often and going through a barrage of exhausting x-rays & other tests.

And the sick people were allowed to stay in bed and rest, while the healthy doctor came to the house. It all made much more sense.

Now those who are ill (even terminal) have to get out in ALL kinds of weather and go to a clinic/hospital where there are many, many other sick people (and germs). And to top it all off, they have to pay huge sums of money to do this! (Either through years of insurance payments or writing them a check, they're gonna pay.)

Medical advancements and professionals have helped many a person--I don't mean to take that away from them. The "system" though seems to be in need of major changes.

[chuckles]

......"Wonder if the leaders in the pro-life movement are making legislators and the general public aware of this?"....

They know. It's like I said, anybody with Google can find this out. It doesn't matter to the people that want to kill every baby they can. They believe population is a problem,..... food, garbage, energy usage, polluters, everything bad. Only slugs and bugs need to live to make a perfect world. If you think I'm joking, you haven't talked to the same wacko's I have. If you can get them out of their tree for awhile, ask them if they believe people are "good".