In response to the questions and responses of others:
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Originally posted by ktsnake
I heard recently (from a friend who is an MD) that in some test cases they were able to get seven (I think that's the right number) out of seven patients treated with stem cells for severe congestive heart failure to regenerate their dead heart tissues simply by injecting their own stem cells into the heart. All seven of the patients have since been released from the hostpital and are on their ways to full recoveries. None were expected to live for very long without this treatment.
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The research is extremely experimental and somewhat misleading the MD's and subsequently the public.
This research is based mainly in Sweden at the Karolinska and Germany at the Max Planck. The cells were
NOT human fetal STEM CELLS. They were
BONE MARROW DERIVED cells injected onto the heart...
There is "something" in the hematopoeitic cells--also know as Stem Cells--that can stabilize ischemic injury after myocardial infarct. It is unknown why that happens. But it is STRONGLY proven that the cells that replace the infarcted zone are DEFINITELY NOT TRANSDIFFERENTIATED BONE MARROW CELLS CHANGED INTO CARDIOMYOCYTES!!! That is proven by reseachers of the name: Nygren J et al. (2004)
Nature Medicine Volume 10 pp. 494...
Much intensive investigation about the full potential is bone marrow derived stem cells is still going on. Even my research has some interest...
Huge misconception that Bernardo Nidal-Girard's group has placed...
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It really opens the eyes though as to what this technology could mean to the medical field. We could cure countless diseases and drastically improve the quality of life for many people.
There is a major contraversy over whether human stem cells from aborted fetuses should be used to further medical science -- and in the event of a breakthrough, be used to cure diseases (like Alzheimer's).
I can see the justification in objecting to doctors actually paying women to harvest fetuses from their wombs in order to obtain stem cells. However, I can't see the justification in just allowing this resource to simply be destroyed when tapping it could mean so much good could be done.
I believe that in this case we are wasting a valuable resource. Whatever your stance on abortion. It happens. This is the only good that I can see coming of this. Anyone have an opinion?
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There is a difference between selectively aborted fetal tissue, non-selectively aborted fetal tissue (such as from miscarriages) and cord and placental tissue.
Selectively aborted tissue with existing laws is hard to come by... Within seconds, cells must be isolated upon removal. Normal human cells die quickly and cannot be frozen intact.
Tissues from miscarriages occur because some major and lethal genetic event happened where the female's uterus is unable to support the birth. Currently, those are the cell lines that everyone is working with and talking about.
There are also the unused frozen embryos that cannot be used for any in vitro fertilization because they have been frozen too long. Using those cells are also what are being discussed.
Cord and placental tissue may not be as "pluripotent" or "totipotent" as embryonic stem cells. Meaning, they cannot change into any cells that is missing, malfunctional or damaged.
In mice, embryonic stem cell technology is highly developed and well understood. Many researchers are using ES cell derived mice for their research and discovering new ideas.
Most researchers want to introduce "therapeutic genes" into folks that have diseases: such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. However, ES cell technology in mice have proven to be much harder to develop that one had anticipated. And straight out cloning is not working that well either. Besides it is not worth it.
Then nobody wants to be reminded of the huge fiasco that occured with gene therapy in the mid-1990s...
The main problem with fetal stem cells is that the molecular genetics are fluid and stuff changes rapidly--think conception, then development--how fast? 24 hours and you see cells beating...
The other issue is the entire human genome is not that well sequenced and although there is great ideas out there for technology, it MUST be driven by responsible, smart and intelligent science. Not crankin' out random papers with no controls. Those papers SUCK!!! And it can kill people, too...
But quality, Nobel Laureate research takes much time. And since most folks have single nucleotide polymorphisms (genes are spelled differently from one person to another), then it seems that know those haplotypes (combinations) are more beneficial to medical science than just randomly curing some disease for only 2 people...
Besides, stem cells would not work that well with curing Alzheimer's. There is nothing wrong with the neurons themselves, there is crap that builds up on them, called beta amyloid, that causes the disease. It is thought that Alzheimer's is a prion disease--much like mad cow. Instense research is being done to see if that is true...