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Fertility expert Lord Winston says the potential benefits of embryonic stem cell research have probably been oversold to the public. He will warn in a speech on Monday that if science fails to deliver on some of the hype around the cells - as he fears will happen - there will be a backlash. He says the notion that a host of cures for serious, degenerative disorders are just around the corner is fanciful. Lord Winston believes some of the uncertainties need to be emphasised. "Both in Britain and America, huge publicity has been given to stem cells, particularly embryonic...

A team of Texas and British researchers says it has produced large amounts of embryoniclike stem cells from umbilical cord blood, potentially ending the ethical debate affecting stem-cell research -- the need to kill human embryos. The international researchers said the cells -- called cord-blood-derived-embryoniclike stem cells, or CBEs -- have the ability to turn into any kind of body tissue, like embryonic stem cells do, and can be mass-produced using technology derived from NASA.

Option to stem cells found Pitt experts say placental cells offer palatable alternative Friday, August 05, 2005 By Byron Spice, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette     University of Pittsburgh researchers have discovered that one type of cell in the human placenta has characteristics that are strikingly similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to regenerate a wide variety of tissues. The cells, called amniotic epithelial cells, potentially could be used to produce new liver cells to treat liver failure, or new pancreatic islet cells to cure diabetes or new neurons to treat Parkinson's disease. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are obtained...

With his Friday speech on the Senate floor announcing his support for federal funding of new embryonic stem cell research, Senate majority leader Bill Frist did the wrong thing at the wrong time. For four years, embryo research advocates have claimed that the Bush administration has "banned stem cell research." Not so. The issue in question is federal funding for embryonic stem cell research--research in which new embryos will be destroyed. Such research has been, and is, legal, and while the president has endorsed a ban on human cloning, he has not proposed to outlaw the destruction of embryos created...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Lawmakers in the US Senate introduced legislation designed to stem a flood of illegal immigration across America's southern borders. "This bill strengthens our border enforcement and comprehensively reforms our immigration system, said Republican Senator John Cornyn, one of the authors of the bill, The Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005. "We need both stronger enforcement and reasonable reform of our immigration laws," he said. "In the past, we have not devoted the funds, the resources, or the manpower to enforce our immigration laws or protect our borders," said Cornyn, of the southwestern state of Texas,...

The U.S. Congress is poised to pour unlimited funds into embryonic stem cell research that not only destroys innocent human life, but it has shown no substantial promise as a curative and threatens the health of women worldwide. So much for “progress and advancement.” After more than 20 years, embryonic stem cell research has not yielded a single cure. During this same time, adult stem cells have been used to treat people with heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries and at least 50 other documented conditions. The focus on therapeutic cloning has been aimed at our heartstrings, prophesying cures...

It seems like each day we hear about a headline touting embryonic stem cell research as the great medical “savior.” During the 2004 elections we were told this research would help paralyzed people walk, and cure Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. We regularly are bombarded with news about how great South Korea is. It can be easy to get caught up in all this hype. It is also understandable we want to do something to prevent these horrible, devastating diseases. However, we must not sell our soul for a mess of pottage as we seek a cure for these diseases.

Leading Italian Catholic politicians have defied a call by the Vatican to boycott a two-day referendum on assisted procreation. They included President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi who was among the first to vote when the polls opened on Sunday. (...) The turnout in this referendum is crucial. Unless 50% of Italy's 40 million voters turn out to cast their votes, the referendum will be invalid. About 13% had voted by 1900 local time (1700 GMT), according to partial figures released by the interior ministry. Polls are due to close at 2200 on Sunday and reopen at 0700 on Monday. Italians are...

Scientists at Australia's Griffith University have engineered a breakthrough in the field of adult stem cell research that's so significant, say experts, that it could render the debate over embryonic stem cell research moot. The results of the four year research project showed that olfactory stem cells can be turned into heart cells, brain cells, nerve cells, indeed almost any kind of cell in the body, without the problems of rejection or tumors forming, a common side effect with embryonic stem cells.

Why is the president threatening to veto the dem cell research bill? If we can find a cure for liberals, shouldn't we try?

Wired News reports that South Korean scientists have made a dramatic breakthrough by deriving stem cells from cloned embryos of patients with spinal cord injuries. It shouldn't be long before we can expect have a set of replacement parts ready when our own wear out." From the article: "Researchers must test the cells in animals before they can try the therapy in humans. But embryonic stem-cell researchers were shocked and delighted by the advance, which many had referred to as a distant possibility until they saw this study by Woo Suk Hwang and his colleagues at Seoul National University, which...

11:21am 05/20/05 Bush warns veto on stem cell billBy Maggie McNeil WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- President Bush said Friday he would veto a bill to allow federal funding of research on stem cells if the research could destroy human embryos. Bush made his remarks in a question-and-answer session with reporters after a meeting with the Danish prime minister. Congress is expected to vote as soon as next week on a bipartisan bill to lift Bush's 2001 ban on the use of federal dollars for research using any new embryonic stem cell lines.

Some will think it a romantic gesture, others will find it grisly. But one willing couple in the UK is about to get the chance, thanks to a government-funded project intended to promote awareness of the issues surrounding tissue engineering. "It's for people who want to give a bit of their body to each other," says Nikki Stott, a jewellery designer at the Royal College of Art in London. She and her colleague Tobie Kerridge are collaborating with Ian Thomspon, a bioengineer at King's College London. The tricky part is that the lucky couple will have to provide bone cell...

LOS ANGELES - The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine doesn't have a home, any money, or even a single employee, but the head of the new state agency expects to be awarding its first grants for stem cell research by May. "We have a responsibility to move as quickly as possible," Robert Klein said Thursday. "I admit that I am an optimist." The institute was created by California voters in November when they approved a $3 billion bond to fund stem cell research over the next decade. The 29-member committee appointed to manage the institute met Thursday and began to...

A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago. Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy. They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had...

With Californians voting overwhelmingly to borrow $3 billion to begin cloning for stem-cell research, it's just a short leap to the suggestions of an Indian scientist who proposes breeding headless humans to be used for harvesting organs and other forms of commercial exploitation. That's the notion put forth by P.B. Desai, former director of the Tata Medical Center, who addressed the issue in a speech Friday titled "Conquest Over Mortality," according to the Indo-Asian News Service. "Science is moving at such a fast pace that scientists have proven that they can create headless mice through removal of genes in embryo...

Just saw the new ad from Michael J. Fox about stem-call research and how he's voting for Kerry because Bush "is limiting funds." I may have to turn off my TV for the next 3 weeks - I think I'm gonna be on demon-rat overload.

Kerry aide accused over 'Superman' stem cell claim 13/10/2004 - 15:02:05 Vice-presidential hopeful John Edwards has sparked a row by claiming that under a John Kerry administration “people like Christopher Reeve will get up out of that wheelchair and walk again”. Mr Edwards raised eyebrows with the pledge at an election campaign rally, a day after the death of the paralysed Superman actor was announced. The Kerry team has repeatedly promised that it would allow stem cell research if in power, opening the way for potential cures for diseases. By contrast President George Bush has placed strict limitations on the...

CNN is reporting that Christopher Reeve just passed away at 52. I heard the man speak in Milwaukee at rally that also had Charlton Heston, Collin Powell, Larry King, and Lou Holtz speak. It was quite entertaining. I believe Senator Kerry was just talking about Mr. Reeve last week as it relates to Stem Cell Research. R.I.P.

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