Adult Stem Cells Already Help Spinal Cord Patients, FDA Embryonic Trials Not Needed

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of embryonic stem cells in human trials for the first time. While the trials involve controversial embryonic cells that have problems with tumors and immune system rejection, the use of adult stem cells has already proven safe for spinal cord patients.

Despite grave concerns that problems such as the causing of tumors and immune system rejection issues haven't been solved, the FDA approved the trials last week.

It gave Geron Corp., based in California, permission to conduct the first-ever human trial for a treatment derived from the controversial cells. The trials will involve 10 spinal cord patients.

However, the safety of adult stem cell transplants in spinal cord injury patients has already been proved in two clinical trials involving studies in Australia and Portugal.

The Australian research group reported its findings in the August 2008 edition of the medical journal Brain, saying that “transplantation of autologous olfactory ensheathing cells into the injured spinal cord is feasible and is safe up to one year post-implantation.”

In Portugal, a group headed by Carlos Lima also used autologous olfactory stem cell transplants and put them into the spinal lesions of paraplegic and tetraplegic patients.

In a July 2006 Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine article, they wrote that adult stem cells are beginning to offer the most hope for those paralyzed from spinal cord injuries.

Lima's team's adult stem cell research showed restored motor function and sensation in a few paralyzed patients using adult stem cells obtained from a patient's own nose.

Lima and his research team demonstrated that a patient's own adult stem cells and olfactory mucosa can treat paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.

"Every patient had improvement in ASIA motor scores," Lima wrote in his team's paper. "This study shows that olfactory mucosa autograft transplantation into the human injured spinal cord is feasible, relatively safe, and potentially beneficial."

Mark Pickup, a disability rights activist in Canada, commented on the Lima study in a statement sent to LifeNews.com. He said he wants to see funding of stem cell research go to adult stem cells instead of embryonic because they provide the most hope for paralyzed people like him.

President Barack Obama has said he will sign a bill Congress will likely send him that would force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research, which involves the destruction of human life.

"Not one human therapy has come out of embryonic stem cell research while 72 therapies have come from non-embryonic research," he said.

"As someone who can potentially benefit from stem cell therapy (I am triplegic with advanced multiple sclerosis) I want research dollars to go where the most promise lies not the least promise," Pickup added.

Related web sites:
Dr. Lima's research paper - http://www.apssci.org/pdf/olfactory.pdf

"Not one human therapy has come out of embryonic stem cell research while 72 therapies have come from non-embryonic research," he said.

The ONLY reason the left pushes embryonic stem cells is to protect abortion.

1 posted on 01/26/2009 12:03:24 PM PST by wagglebee

To: cgk; Coleus; cpforlife.org; narses; Salvation; 8mmMauser

2 posted on 01/26/2009 12:04:17 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)

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3 posted on 01/26/2009 12:04:45 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)

adult stem cells have done remarkable things... embryonic has “potential” whatever that means

4 posted on 01/26/2009 12:20:59 PM PST by GeronL (Had the flu. Not well yet.)

Hate to say this but I can see the day when the use of adult stem cells is explicitly outlawed in this country.

5 posted on 01/26/2009 12:40:21 PM PST by Fred Hayek (Leftism is a mental disorder.)

that would be a very bad sad day

6 posted on 01/26/2009 12:41:30 PM PST by GeronL (Had the flu. Not well yet.)

And don’t forget free money from the state of Californication.

7 posted on 01/26/2009 12:48:59 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. Margret Thatcher)

AMEN to #1. It is just a smoke screen, and they know it.

8 posted on 01/26/2009 6:24:08 PM PST by MountainFlower (There but by the grace of God go I.)

To: MountainFlower

The point that needs to be stressed is there are billions, perhaps trillions of investment dollars around the world. If fetal stem cells were a good prospect, the PRIVATE money would have flowed like honey into the fetal cell money pot. It doesn't work and shows little promise, so the money goes where it has the best chance of a monetary return. This is just a government boondoggle to promote a reason to murder children. Bush even allowed PRIVATE money to experiment on fetal cells, but nobody came to the party. Now the colleges, and research vampires will line up for gubmint money so they won't ever have to get a real job. This is just another "global warming" religious scam. They keep saying fetal stem cells are the holy grail and the Earth is warming, and tax cuts don't work, and all their church mantra, even if they have just been completely discredited. When they let the Gitmo murderers loose, they will decry that they returned to their killing ways because Bush was mean to them, never taking in the fact that have sworn to their god to destroy us.

All the public needs to know is killing babies = good, and Republicans = bad.

9 posted on 01/26/2009 6:43:36 PM PST by chuckles

To: wagglebee; Coleus

No embryonic stem cell research is needed.

10 posted on 01/26/2009 8:08:28 PM PST by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...

11 posted on 01/26/2009 8:25:09 PM PST by Coleus (Abortion and Euthanasia, don't Obama and the Democrats just kill ya!)

To: Fred Hayek; wagglebee; Coleus; Peach; airborne; Asphalt; Dr. Scarpetta; I'm ALL Right!; ...

Hate to say this but I can see the day when the use of adult stem cells is explicitly outlawed in this country.

No way, not when they are already approved therapy, and the embryonic stem cell transplants require immunosuppresant drugs.

US approves 1st stem cell study for spinal injury

Each patient will receive a low dose of anti-rejection drugs for about two months, because after that time the medications shouldn't be needed, Okarma said. The study will follow each patient for at least a year...

I was watching EWTN, the Catholic cable network. They have a new show about stem cells. IIRC, a priest with a slavic surname said that adult stem cells are approved therapy or in clinical trials for over ninety diagnoses. It was in the mid-nineties, 95 - 98. He wasn't exactly sure. IIRC, he said an intern had been tasked with updating the list.

12 posted on 01/26/2009 8:58:12 PM PST by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)

So have any researchers petitioned to begin trials using Adult Stem cells here in the US?

13 posted on 01/26/2009 9:12:41 PM PST by SuziQ

To: wagglebee; neverdem

14 posted on 01/27/2009 3:54:15 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta

Adult stem cells (including umbilical cord cells) are currently being used SUCCESSFULLY in the US and have been for a long time.

15 posted on 01/27/2009 5:49:07 AM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)

16 posted on 01/30/2009 6:08:26 PM PST by BonRad (As Rome goes so goes the world)

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