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Stem cells create tumours, says expert
News Limited ^
| 10.10.06
| Jane Bunce
Posted on 10/18/2006 7:21:47 PM PDT by Coleus
EMBRYONIC stem cells turn into tumours when injected into human tissue and therefore cannot be used to treat diseases, a visiting US expert said today. Professor James Sherley, a researcher in the field of adult stem cells, is one of a series of experts in Canberra to lobby MPs ahead of a conscience vote on whether a ban on therapeutic cloning should be overturned. Prof Sherley, from Boston's Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), today said scientists had failed to reveal problems with embryonic stem cells that would prevent them being used in humans. The unique feature of embryonic stem cells that allowed them to turn into any cell of the body, known as pluripotency, created a problem when researchers injected them into tissue, Prof Sherley said. When you put them in an environment where they can grow and develop, they make lots of different kind of tissues, Prof Sherley said.
This tumour formation property is an inherent feature of the cells.And all you have to do is simply inject them into an animal tissue this happens at very high efficiency. And although some might say we can solve the tumour problem down the road, that's equivalent to saying we can solve the cancer problem and we may, but that's a long time coming. Prof Sherley said the tumours, called teratomas, were generally considered benign, but it was possible they could metastasize or produce chemicals such as enzymes and cytokines that affect other parts of the body.
Prof Sherley said many scientists agreed with his views but were too scared to speak out over concerns it could affect their funding and reputation. Adult stem cells were not known to form tumours, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Technical
KEYWORDS: adultstemcells; escr; jamessherley; sherley; stemcells
1
posted on
10/18/2006 7:21:48 PM PDT
by
Coleus
To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...
2
posted on
10/18/2006 7:22:21 PM PDT
by
Coleus
(Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, geese, algae)
To: Coleus
I am just tempted to laugh at all those who promised the world if they could just get funding (government funding) for embryonic stem cell research. This seems so natural, that nature would prevent good from coming from destruction of living persons.
But I think of all those strung along with false promises....
3
posted on
10/18/2006 7:34:59 PM PDT
by
mockingbyrd
(Good heavens! What women these Christians have-----Libanus)
To: Coleus
(In my best exaggerated-Austrian-accent...) "It's naaat aaahh tooomaaaah!"
4
posted on
10/18/2006 7:36:33 PM PDT
by
bannie
To: mockingbyrd
Shocking I tell you, Shocking! And to think the "fair" minded Californians OK'ed billions of taxe payer dollars for this. Seems to me the Terminator was for it also. Believe you me it created a lot of Nazi death Camp jobs and made a lot of Scientist and administrators very rich. TIC TIC TIC, still aiting for one person to be saved by sans research
5
posted on
10/18/2006 7:42:29 PM PDT
by
DAC22
To: Coleus
The unstated drive behind the embryonic stem cell debate is the quest for cash. Research labs will be able to license the use of the cells they isolate for transplant.
6
posted on
10/18/2006 8:17:18 PM PDT
by
Nomorjer Kinov
(If the opposite of "pro" is "con" , what is the opposite of progress?)
To: Coleus
7
posted on
10/18/2006 8:18:16 PM PDT
by
A CA Guy
(God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
To: Coleus
EMBRYONIC stem cells turn into tumours when injected into human tissue and therefore cannot be used to treat diseases, BLASPHEMY!
HERESY!
Repeat after me: Embryonic stem cells show great promise and if it weren't for the fundies Chris Reeve would be walking again if he weren't dead.
8
posted on
10/18/2006 8:21:12 PM PDT
by
denydenydeny
("We have always been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be detested in France"--Wellington)
To: Coleus
I was wondering how the cells would know what to do.
9
posted on
10/18/2006 8:28:36 PM PDT
by
skr
(We cannot play innocents abroad in a world that is not innocent.-- Ronald Reagan)
To: Coleus
It is not a tumor!.
10
posted on
10/18/2006 8:30:12 PM PDT
by
Mike Darancette
( Europe will either become Christian again or become Muslim. Not the "culture of nothing".)
To: skr
I was wondering how the cells would know what to do. Easy: you turn them into adult stem cells first. (I suspect that there's probably more than a morsel of truth to that flippant comment....)
11
posted on
10/18/2006 8:31:45 PM PDT
by
r9etb
To: Coleus
I appreciate the article.
But I do wish the editors had given it the proper title:
EMBRYONIC Stem Cells Create Tumors;
ADULT Stem Cells Often Create Cures/Therapies
I've noted that often when a stem-cell cure/therapy is reported, you've
got to read between the lines to find out that, oh yeah, it's
adult stem cells as usual.
So I'm not shocked that a headline is toned down a bit to announce that
embryonic stem cells can be dangerous to your health.
If you're no longer an embryo.
12
posted on
10/18/2006 8:34:59 PM PDT
by
VOA
To: Coleus
To: Coleus
Did anyone really expect that unmodified pleuripotent embryonic cells would function as repair kits for adult human bodies? Making an organism from scratch and repairing a damaged organism are very different tasks.
14
posted on
10/18/2006 8:48:56 PM PDT
by
TChad
To: Coleus
Michael Fumento's "Sciences Stem Cell Scam" from July 18, 2006 NRO is worth a re-read while on this subject.
http://www.fumento.com/biotech/stem-cell-scam.html
Science has become so politicized and [leftist] agenda driven that one must be a constant skeptic. As always, the left's fanaticism is poisoning another segment of our society.
They see ESC as a lynch pin in their fight to keep all forms of abortion legally viable.
15
posted on
10/18/2006 8:55:23 PM PDT
by
ChildOfThe60s
(If you can remember the 60s...you weren't really there.)
To: Coleus
Last year, Sherley (PhD, MD) was
not granted tenure at MIT.
This year he made the MIT news pages for winning a very large grant.
It seems that some pro-ESCR colleagues of this son of a Baptist preacher, didn't get along with him.
16
posted on
10/19/2006 6:46:42 AM PDT
by
syriacus
(Dems say we've lost respect in the eyes of the world. How would abandoning Iraqis help us with that?)
To: syriacus
17
posted on
10/19/2006 6:52:45 AM PDT
by
syriacus
(Dems say we've lost respect in the eyes of the world. How would abandoning Iraqis help us with that?)
To: syriacus
18
posted on
10/19/2006 7:05:00 AM PDT
by
syriacus
(Dems say we've lost respect in the eyes of the world. How would abandoning Iraqis help us with that?)
To: Coleus
Prof Sherley said
many scientists agreed with his views but were too scared to
speak out over concerns it could affect their funding and reputation.
Adult stem cells were not known to form tumours, he said.
So what global warming is to climate research...
embryonic stem cells are to biological research.
Apparently a sacred cow/holy tenent that gets critics labeled as heretics.
And could get their funding lifted.
19
posted on
10/23/2006 12:34:34 PM PDT
by
VOA
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