Posted on 08/18/2006 11:01:26 PM PDT by Proud2BAmerican
STEM cells taken from mouse embryos have helped paralysed rats move again, US researchers said today.
The study was the best evidence so far that controversial embryonic stem cells might be used to treat people with spinal cord and other traumatic injuries, the researchers said.
"This study provides a 'recipe' for using stem cells to reconnect the nervous system," Dr Douglas Kerr of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said in a statement.
"It raises the notion that we can eventually achieve this in humans, although we have a long way to go ... We found that we needed a combination of all of the treatments in order to restore function."
Dr Kerr and colleagues used a soup of compounds called growth factors to cause stem cells from the mouse embryos to develop into a type of nerve cell called a motor neuron.
Writing in the Annals of Neurology, they said the transplanted cells, combined with the right mix of compounds, helped paralysed rats regrow some of their nerve cells and use their hind legs.
"This work is a remarkable advance that can help us understand how stem cells might be used to treat injuries and disease and begin to fulfill their great promise," said Dr Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
Stem cells are the body's master cells and can be found circulating in the blood and in tissues.
Scientists hope to learn to use them to regenerate cells, organs and tissues. A controversial source of the stem cells comes from days-old embryos.
These stem cells have the ability to change into any type of cell or tissue in the body.
Opponents of their use say experimenting on human embryos is morally wrong, and US law prevents the use of federal funds to create or work with all but a few batches of human embryonic stem cells.
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They are seeing some progress with adult stem cells. Maybe that's the compound.
You'll have to search for it, but there was a post a few days back on research done with adult stem cells from human sinuses that had the same result, while not having the tumor growth potential or rejection problems that fetal stem cells had.
Try a search on 'sinuses'.
We already have demonstrable results from using the patients' own adult stem cells from the tissue in their noses. The olfactory sensory nerves there constantly regenerate throughout life, and rightfully promised to aide in the healing of traumatic spinal cord injury.
Here's more on the report from a few months ago -
http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/2006/07/report-on-olfactory-stem-cell-spinal.html
and my review, here:
http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/2006/07/still-no-coverage-of-ethical-spinal.html
Oh, where gonna continue barking up this tree, I guess.
Here you go:
http://www.cogforlife.org/adultStemCellSuccess.htm
I have never seen people so determined to make something happen. Usually you try different experiments looking for a result. Here, the cure was decided first. They just can't figure out how to make it happen, but they know it just has work.
It never actually says in the article that they're using embryonic stem cells.
It actually does mention twice the use of mouse embryos.
Can anyone explain to me the problem with using embryos that are scheduled to be thrown out for this kind of research?
I know if I had been trying to have in vitro fertilization, and had left over embryos, I would rather have them used for a humanitarian purpose than thrown in the garbage. Why not let those who wish to have their embryos used in this way have the right to designate that use?
I don't believe in an artificial fertilization method that creates disposable life. And I don't care how the embryos are created, trying to find cures on the backs of babies is disgusting. People shouldn't be able to designate the use of an embryo any more than they should be able to kill their own children just because they are theirs.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3638 This was over three years ago. You would think that scientists would stick with this. But no, they have to find a reason to use embryonic stem cells and they are not going to quit trying. They have egos that they desire to be built up.
a couple of issues, one being that if such as thing were allowed, at some point you would have intentional in vitro fert. for this purposes at such time as the economics made sense. i don't believe that would be the case now, but IANAD (I am not a doctor)
then there is the abortion issue and many who feel ready to regulate all women's bodies directly, and certainly this would be included, if anything more severely.
Use your own money. Don't use taxpayers dollars!
The best research of any kind will come from private
enterprise. study to your hearts desire. There is no restriction on embryo research.
The role of our government should not be the funding of any type of
scientifice research besides the political restrictions on many grants can be too frustrating. I think science would be better served
from a private functioning standpoint.
Do you believe that the people involved with this are ever going to be satisfied with the 'leftovers'. Of course, not, they'll be demanding more and more abortion product to further their agenda.
Wrongly calling these Embyronic Stem Cells. These are mice stem cells, not human. Story has nothing at all to do with Human Embryonics research.
A statement of intellectual incompetence. Women are not allowed to sell their bodies as prostitutes. Women are not allowed to ingest illegal drugs. The suggest that this is some how an infringement of "Women's rights" is intellectually vacuous.
Note to pseudo Intellectual Leftists. There is NO right to do what ever the heck you want when ever you feel like doing it in the US Constitution.
Nope, what is pointed out is those pushing Embryonic have fraudulent laid claim to other stem cell research as justifying their rabid need to have NO limitation at all on their holy sacrament of abortion upon demand. That there is NO proof to back up the wild eyed claims of the Emrybronics, MOST people are smart enough to grasp that the REASON their is so much hysteria by the Leftist about Embryonic has NOTHING to do with Science and EVERYTHING to do with Politics.
Just like Global Warming, the people pushing Embryonic are using Junk Science to propaganda completely fraudulent information about possible gains from Embryonic by claiming the gains of OTHER Stem Cells research "prove" their completely made up claims about Embryonic. IF Embryonic were these great massive break thru PRIVATE money would be pouring into the research from Pharmaceuticals. That they are NOT wasting their money on it proves pretty clearly the claims by the Junk Scientists about Embryonic are so mush fraud.
The Opponents merely point out the Freud where the Political Leftists lie and deceive about Embryonic in the mistaken notion that some how Embryonic Research will prop up their collapsing political position on Abortion.
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