The last issue of "Catholic San Francisco" our Archdiocesan newspaper had an atrociously ill-informed article (PDF: 8MB) about embryonic stem-cell research, and the Catholic arguments against it.
This week, in the "Letters" section, two extremely well informed Catholics set the record straight. We reproduce their letters here in full.
"I am writing to express profound disappointment with the Feb. 15 front-page article regarding the stem cell conference at Dominican College.
First, the article itself is ideologically biased from the perspective of embryonic stem cell advocates. Frankly, it read like a promotion of the Institute of Regenerative Medicine; the Institute was put in place by Proposition 71, against which the California Catholic Conference of Bishops (including the San Francisco Archdiocese) campaigned tirelessly in the 2004 election.
Second, it was devoid of the Church’s well reasoned moral argument against destroying nascent human life for the purpose of furthering scientific technology.
In short, we oppose feeding off of (i.e. killing) our young to prolong our own existence. The existence ordained by God to new life is not ours for the foraging. The unborn, regardless of their point in the gestational path, are not fodder for the petri dishes of scientists who want to be their own gods. (Interestingly, the article was revealing about the real objective of scientists who are obsessed with embryonic stem cell research; they want to be able to create life, to be their own gods; cures are ancillary to the process.)
Third, the article was also devoid of scientific facts about embryonic stem cell research, namely that this research holds no promise for anyone who is alive today. The research is so problematic and unpromising that no venture capitalists will fund it, thus the push for taxpayer funding. Also, over 73 diseases are being treated with adult stem cell therapies. Adult stem cell research is wildly successful yet does not require the destruction of human life. In fact, every time we hear about a success in stem cell research, it is an adult stem cell therapy. Where was this fact in the article?
Finally, where was the Church’s counter-point in this article? Why was Vicki Evans, Respect Life coordinator for the Archdiocese, who is very well versed on the topic, not interviewed? As a person who has worked hard (as a volunteer on behalf of the Church) to dispel the propaganda put forth by scientism and the mainstream media about the scientifically inaccurate “virtues” of embryonic stem cell research, this article was a slap in the face. I look forward to a correction in the upcoming Catholic San Francisco.
Dolores Meehan
San Francisco
and:
I don’t know if I am more disappointed with Dominican University of California (self-described as a “university of Catholic heritage” in San Rafael) that held a conference showcasing people involved with destruction of human life and cloning for scientific research, or with the ethically neutral reporting of it in Catholic San Francisco (Feb. 15).
The article unwittingly makes a case for continued destruction of human life in its most vulnerable stage – a stage of life that every human person goes through without exception.
At one point, seven paragraphs in a row supported the need for experimentation and destruction of human embryonic life followed by a weak mention of Catholic teaching about human life qualified by “Catholic natural lawthinking argues . . .” and “Catholic thinkers urge scientists to use adult sources . . ..” There is nothing to think about. It is a matter of understanding the magisterium.
It is a scientific fact that from the moment of conception, there is a unique unrepeatable human life, genetically different from his or her parents – yes, “his” or “her”, not “its”. Every human life has equal value and dignity whether strong or weak, able or disabled, conscious or unconscious, embryo or elderly. Why? Because God creates each in his image and likeness.
In addition, there was the unanswered quote from a secular “bioethicist” who said, “You have big people who are here with their diseases, and then you have . . . embryos”. “. . . [The embryo] is not self-conscious.” It might have been nice to mention it is a matter of social justice that “big people” take care of little people. They don’t kill them for private interests because they are weak and are not conscious. Domination of the poor, weak and vulnerable by the wealthy, strong and powerful is always wrong.
The article wrongly leaves the impression that stem cells generated from human eggs are ethical as long as embryos are not involved. Harvesting human eggs is a dangerous and painful process. It is an assault on the dignity of women, particularly poor women, too easily coerced into selling their eggs and jeopardizing their health. Women in the third world would be the most vulnerable, but then we have these “big people” – rich and powerful.
It is sad that some of the best-informed people in the country on this subject sit right down the hall from Catholic San Francisco in the chancery office, and were apparently not consulted. In addition, there are many competent and well-informed laity, religious and clergy in our Archdiocese who could have contributed a rebuttal from a Catholic perspective. The misunderstandings in the article demonstrate how complex the issues are regarding ethical and unethical stem cell research. Ethical alternatives have provided cures and treatments for almost 80 diseases compared to none from the unethical research. Catholic citizens who want to do the right thing are desperate for help in understanding the truth and what is at stake. This article did not help fill that need.
Bill May
Chairman, Catholics for the Common Good
San Francisco
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Friday, February 29, 2008
Monday, November 14, 2011
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: "This could be the biggest revolution in cardiovascular medicine in my lifetime.''
More great adult stem-cell news. This story is from the Telegraph:
'''The results are striking,' said Professor Roberto Bolli, one of the research leaders from the University of Louisville in the US. ''While we do not yet know why the improvement occurs, we have no doubt now that ejection fraction increased and scarring decreased.'
''If these results hold up in future studies, I believe this could be the biggest revolution in cardiovascular medicine in my lifetime.''
The ground-breaking new treatment involved extracting cardiac stem cells (CSCs) - self-renewing cells that rebuild hearts and arteries - from patients during bypass surgery.
The cells were purified and grown in the laboratory before being injected back into damaged regions of the patients' hearts four months later.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports more good news. Geron is abandoning the field of embryonic stem-cell research:
"The company doing the first government-approved test of embryonic stem cell therapy is discontinuing further stem cell work..."
UPDATE: Hah! The great Wesley Smith on Geron's pullout:
"This is an atom bomb of a story that will have a serious effect on the entire regenerative medical sector. And it should embarrass the critics of President Bush; the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which bragged about its part in funding a scientist involved in the research; and, perhaps most of all, the fawning media that have acted as press agent for both the field generally, and Geron specifically."
And we repeat one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
You can read all our adult stem-cell posts here.
'''The results are striking,' said Professor Roberto Bolli, one of the research leaders from the University of Louisville in the US. ''While we do not yet know why the improvement occurs, we have no doubt now that ejection fraction increased and scarring decreased.'
''If these results hold up in future studies, I believe this could be the biggest revolution in cardiovascular medicine in my lifetime.''
The ground-breaking new treatment involved extracting cardiac stem cells (CSCs) - self-renewing cells that rebuild hearts and arteries - from patients during bypass surgery.
The cells were purified and grown in the laboratory before being injected back into damaged regions of the patients' hearts four months later.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports more good news. Geron is abandoning the field of embryonic stem-cell research:
"The company doing the first government-approved test of embryonic stem cell therapy is discontinuing further stem cell work..."
UPDATE: Hah! The great Wesley Smith on Geron's pullout:
"This is an atom bomb of a story that will have a serious effect on the entire regenerative medical sector. And it should embarrass the critics of President Bush; the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which bragged about its part in funding a scientist involved in the research; and, perhaps most of all, the fawning media that have acted as press agent for both the field generally, and Geron specifically."
And we repeat one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
You can read all our adult stem-cell posts here.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Adult Stem Cell UPDATE: Burns Treated, Leukemia Patient Healed
We have not been following the amazing adult stem-cell progess as much as we should lately. Here are two MORE amazing stories:
From KSL in Salt Lake City:
Stem cell spray heals burns
A spray solution of a patient's own stem cells is healing their severe burns. So far, early experiments under a University of Utah pilot project are showing some remarkable results.
What was once a serious burn on Kaye Adkins foot is healing nicely now because of a topical spray. With diabetes as a complication, the small but open wound had not healed after weeks of failed treatments.
Dr. Amalia Cochran with the university's Burn Care Center says, "With a wound that is open for several months, as this patient suffered prior to seeing us in our burn clinic, we worry about a pretty heavy bacterial load there."
But enter the evolutionary world of regenerative medicine, using almost a bedside stem cell technique that takes only about 15 minutes."
_____________________________________________________
And from LifeSiteNews:
Amazing first: leukemia patient completely cured with cord blood stem cells
"BERLIN, November 26, 2010 - Doctors associated with the German umbilical cord blood bank Vita 34 say that they have cured a child’s leukemia completely using an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.
The procedure was reportedly performed in 2005 on a four-year-old girl whose chemotherapy treatment had failed and who had a prognosis of only three months to live. The procedure was possible because the parents had decided to preserve their child’s umbilical cord blood at the time of birth.
After continuous monitoring of the child for five years now, with no sign of leukemia cells in her blood, doctors say that they have confirmed that the treatment worked."
As our friend Don Margolis often says, adult stem-cells are the greatest medicine in the history of man. It's tragic that our current President, for ideological reasons, chooses to spend his efforts on immoral and pointless Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
For a rundown of our posts on this subject, click here. And you can always visit our friend Don Margolis, whom we have called "The Best Stem Cell Blog" for more. Don follows all the latest adult stem-cell news, and has made it his life's work. God bless him!
From KSL in Salt Lake City:
Stem cell spray heals burns
A spray solution of a patient's own stem cells is healing their severe burns. So far, early experiments under a University of Utah pilot project are showing some remarkable results.
What was once a serious burn on Kaye Adkins foot is healing nicely now because of a topical spray. With diabetes as a complication, the small but open wound had not healed after weeks of failed treatments.
Dr. Amalia Cochran with the university's Burn Care Center says, "With a wound that is open for several months, as this patient suffered prior to seeing us in our burn clinic, we worry about a pretty heavy bacterial load there."
But enter the evolutionary world of regenerative medicine, using almost a bedside stem cell technique that takes only about 15 minutes."
_____________________________________________________
And from LifeSiteNews:
Amazing first: leukemia patient completely cured with cord blood stem cells
"BERLIN, November 26, 2010 - Doctors associated with the German umbilical cord blood bank Vita 34 say that they have cured a child’s leukemia completely using an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood.
The procedure was reportedly performed in 2005 on a four-year-old girl whose chemotherapy treatment had failed and who had a prognosis of only three months to live. The procedure was possible because the parents had decided to preserve their child’s umbilical cord blood at the time of birth.
After continuous monitoring of the child for five years now, with no sign of leukemia cells in her blood, doctors say that they have confirmed that the treatment worked."
As our friend Don Margolis often says, adult stem-cells are the greatest medicine in the history of man. It's tragic that our current President, for ideological reasons, chooses to spend his efforts on immoral and pointless Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
For a rundown of our posts on this subject, click here. And you can always visit our friend Don Margolis, whom we have called "The Best Stem Cell Blog" for more. Don follows all the latest adult stem-cell news, and has made it his life's work. God bless him!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Adult Stem-Cell Update: Heart Attack Damage Reversed
You can read the American Heart Association's press release on the treatment here.
From Fierce Biotech Research:
"Writing in the journal Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists show in a small study that stem cell therapy can reverse heart damage in patients with enlarged hearts due to heart attacks. In addition, the benefits from the stem cell injections appear to be three times better than that offered by current medical treatments, according to a release. Scar tissue decreased and heart function improved, the scientists from the University of Miami said.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Joshua Hare, the study's lead author and director of the UM Medical School's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, seemed pumped about the heart development.
'That's the Holy Grail, the quest the whole field has been pursuing for close to a decade, and this is evidence we're on the right track,' Hare told the Herald.
A participant in the small eight-person trial, Max Eaton, 68, seconded that emotion. 'I feel very grateful,' Eaton told the Herald. 'Almost certainly, I would be deceased or in much worse shape had I not had the opportunity to be in this program.'"
And would these be Embryonic Stem Cells? Not on your life. Two different times of bone marrow stem-cells. Go here for all of our posts on amazing adult stem-cell treatments.
It's been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
Readers interested in the latest amazing stem-cell treatments should visit the blog of Don Margolis. He's been on the story for years, and has just about daily updates.
From Fierce Biotech Research:
"Writing in the journal Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists show in a small study that stem cell therapy can reverse heart damage in patients with enlarged hearts due to heart attacks. In addition, the benefits from the stem cell injections appear to be three times better than that offered by current medical treatments, according to a release. Scar tissue decreased and heart function improved, the scientists from the University of Miami said.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Joshua Hare, the study's lead author and director of the UM Medical School's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, seemed pumped about the heart development.
'That's the Holy Grail, the quest the whole field has been pursuing for close to a decade, and this is evidence we're on the right track,' Hare told the Herald.
A participant in the small eight-person trial, Max Eaton, 68, seconded that emotion. 'I feel very grateful,' Eaton told the Herald. 'Almost certainly, I would be deceased or in much worse shape had I not had the opportunity to be in this program.'"
And would these be Embryonic Stem Cells? Not on your life. Two different times of bone marrow stem-cells. Go here for all of our posts on amazing adult stem-cell treatments.
It's been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
Readers interested in the latest amazing stem-cell treatments should visit the blog of Don Margolis. He's been on the story for years, and has just about daily updates.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Adult Stem Cell Update!
It's one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice": Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?
The latest, from Catholic News Agency:
Pfizer to invest in adult stem-cell treatment for eyes
"The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced that it is funding a new adult stem-cell treatment that could treat diabetes-induced retinal damage, a leading cause of blindness.
Forbes Magazine says that Pfizer is funding the creation of a San Diego biotech company named EyeCyte to develop stem-cell treatments for eye diseases. The company will base its work upon Scripps Research Institute ophthalmologist Martin Friedlander’s research involving stem-cells from blood and bone marrow. EyeCyte will receive about $3 million from Pfizer, which in return has the right of first refusal regarding the new company’s products . . .
In animal experiments, adult stem-cells have shown a remarkable ability to target and repair damaged blood vessels in the eye, which are a key problem in diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration.
"It is unbelievable. These cells know where to go and they target the site of injury," said Friedlander, according to Forbes. He said that in his lab he has cured mice “10 times over,” but noted it is unknown whether the treatment will help people."
Now, those guys over at Pfizer aren't investing $3 million as charity. There doing it because they think this process has serious potential to help cure blindness in human beings, and thus enable their investment to be profitable. Nothing wrong with that. Pray God the treatment works! But when's the last time you heard of ANY breakthrough from embryonic stem-cells that would induce investors to shell out their own money? What happened was the backers of Proposition 71 sold the voters pie-in-the-sky stories about ESCR, then they got $3 billion of your money, taxpayer's money, to do heaven knows what.
The breakthroughs in adult & cord blood stem cells are coming so fast that it seems that even the scientists can't keep up with them. Make sure to check out the website of Mr. Don Margolis. He seems to be right on top of the various new treatments. Just in the last two days he has posted about adult stem-cell treatments for cerebral palsy and epilepsy, pulmonary hypertension, and sickle-cell anemia.
The latest, from Catholic News Agency:
Pfizer to invest in adult stem-cell treatment for eyes
"The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has announced that it is funding a new adult stem-cell treatment that could treat diabetes-induced retinal damage, a leading cause of blindness.
Forbes Magazine says that Pfizer is funding the creation of a San Diego biotech company named EyeCyte to develop stem-cell treatments for eye diseases. The company will base its work upon Scripps Research Institute ophthalmologist Martin Friedlander’s research involving stem-cells from blood and bone marrow. EyeCyte will receive about $3 million from Pfizer, which in return has the right of first refusal regarding the new company’s products . . .
In animal experiments, adult stem-cells have shown a remarkable ability to target and repair damaged blood vessels in the eye, which are a key problem in diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration.
"It is unbelievable. These cells know where to go and they target the site of injury," said Friedlander, according to Forbes. He said that in his lab he has cured mice “10 times over,” but noted it is unknown whether the treatment will help people."
Now, those guys over at Pfizer aren't investing $3 million as charity. There doing it because they think this process has serious potential to help cure blindness in human beings, and thus enable their investment to be profitable. Nothing wrong with that. Pray God the treatment works! But when's the last time you heard of ANY breakthrough from embryonic stem-cells that would induce investors to shell out their own money? What happened was the backers of Proposition 71 sold the voters pie-in-the-sky stories about ESCR, then they got $3 billion of your money, taxpayer's money, to do heaven knows what.
The breakthroughs in adult & cord blood stem cells are coming so fast that it seems that even the scientists can't keep up with them. Make sure to check out the website of Mr. Don Margolis. He seems to be right on top of the various new treatments. Just in the last two days he has posted about adult stem-cell treatments for cerebral palsy and epilepsy, pulmonary hypertension, and sickle-cell anemia.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: HIV-Postive Man Cured by Transplant
We just can't keep up with all the great adult stem-cell news. The latest: an HIV-postive man in Berlin has been cured. From Fox News:
"Doctors believe a 42-year-old man was cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant in 2007, the medical journal Blood reported.
Timothy Ray Brown, an HIV-positive American living in Germany, had leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy, when he received a transplant of stem cells from a donor carrying a rare, inherited gene mutation associated with a reduced risk HIV.
The transplant appeared to wipe out both diseases, giving hope to doctors. Brown’s case was published in a February 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"The patient is fine," Dr. Gero Hutter, who treated Brown, of Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany said in 2009. "Today, two years after his transplantation, he is still without any signs of HIV disease and without antiretroviral medication."
We repeat what has been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice" ever since Prop 71 in California passed:
"Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
Meanwhile, our President funds this useless and immoral embryonic reasearch.
For all of our stem -cell posts, go here, and, as always, check out the blog of Don Margolis for the latest adult stem-cell (or as Don calls them "repair stem cell") news.
"Doctors believe a 42-year-old man was cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant in 2007, the medical journal Blood reported.
Timothy Ray Brown, an HIV-positive American living in Germany, had leukemia and was undergoing chemotherapy, when he received a transplant of stem cells from a donor carrying a rare, inherited gene mutation associated with a reduced risk HIV.
The transplant appeared to wipe out both diseases, giving hope to doctors. Brown’s case was published in a February 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"The patient is fine," Dr. Gero Hutter, who treated Brown, of Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany said in 2009. "Today, two years after his transplantation, he is still without any signs of HIV disease and without antiretroviral medication."
We repeat what has been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice" ever since Prop 71 in California passed:
"Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
Meanwhile, our President funds this useless and immoral embryonic reasearch.
For all of our stem -cell posts, go here, and, as always, check out the blog of Don Margolis for the latest adult stem-cell (or as Don calls them "repair stem cell") news.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: The Blind can Now See With Their Own Stem-Cells!
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! From LifeSiteNews:
"For individuals blinded by chemical burns, the ever advancing field of adult stem-cell research has provided yet another astonishing cure – giving them sight through their own stem cells.
Italian researchers have reported developing a very successful therapy to cure those who were either blinded, or whose vision was severely impaired, thanks to chemical burns to their corneas. Such burns can come about through handling everything from toxic cleaning substances at home to heavy-duty chemicals at work....
In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists treated 107 eyes of 106 patients with stem cells derived from the limbus, the rim around the cornea, where stem cells are naturally produced by the body to do repairs on the cornea.
The researchers derived the stem cells from a patient’s healthy eye, and then encouraged them to multiply. Once they had enough stem cells, they removed the scar tissue over the bad eye, and then grafted the stem cells on over the site of the cornea, which then began to generate new corneal tissues.
After 12-24 months had passed, these grafts were then followed up by corrective surgeries.
One patient had severe alkali burns on both his eyes from 1948. Researchers, however, were able to adapt and derive limbal stem-cell cultures with biopsied tissue taken from the patient’s left eye. The therapy managed to successfully restore both corneal surfaces, transitioning the man from blindness to having an almost normal, combined vision of close to 20/30. Follow-ups after two and five years showed that both eyes were stable after the treatment.
In all, the treatment had a 76.6 percent success rate, sustained over the past decade. The researchers note that all their failure cases occurred within the first year of treatment. In all 82 of 107 eyes had successful cures, with partial success in 14 others.
"They were incredibly happy. Some said it was a miracle," one of the study leaders, Graziella Pellegrini of the University of Modena's Center for Regenerative Medicine in Italy, told the Associated Press. "It was not a miracle. It was simply a technique."
The Family Research Council blog has more, including ABC News video about the case. We also repeat what has become one of our mantras at "A Shepherd's Voice" ever since Prop 71 in California passed:
"Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
We must point out it was idiots in the press (like ABC News) that were foursquare behind ESCR, and painted those of us opposed to it as anti-science bigots.
Our friend Don Margolis has been beating the adult stem-cell drum (he refers to them as "repair stem-cells") for years, calling them the greatest medicine ever known to mankind, and it looks like he is right. Visit his website: http://donmargolis.com/blog/ and check out the list of diseases and conditions being treated with adult stem-cells.
"For individuals blinded by chemical burns, the ever advancing field of adult stem-cell research has provided yet another astonishing cure – giving them sight through their own stem cells.
Italian researchers have reported developing a very successful therapy to cure those who were either blinded, or whose vision was severely impaired, thanks to chemical burns to their corneas. Such burns can come about through handling everything from toxic cleaning substances at home to heavy-duty chemicals at work....
In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists treated 107 eyes of 106 patients with stem cells derived from the limbus, the rim around the cornea, where stem cells are naturally produced by the body to do repairs on the cornea.
The researchers derived the stem cells from a patient’s healthy eye, and then encouraged them to multiply. Once they had enough stem cells, they removed the scar tissue over the bad eye, and then grafted the stem cells on over the site of the cornea, which then began to generate new corneal tissues.
After 12-24 months had passed, these grafts were then followed up by corrective surgeries.
One patient had severe alkali burns on both his eyes from 1948. Researchers, however, were able to adapt and derive limbal stem-cell cultures with biopsied tissue taken from the patient’s left eye. The therapy managed to successfully restore both corneal surfaces, transitioning the man from blindness to having an almost normal, combined vision of close to 20/30. Follow-ups after two and five years showed that both eyes were stable after the treatment.
In all, the treatment had a 76.6 percent success rate, sustained over the past decade. The researchers note that all their failure cases occurred within the first year of treatment. In all 82 of 107 eyes had successful cures, with partial success in 14 others.
"They were incredibly happy. Some said it was a miracle," one of the study leaders, Graziella Pellegrini of the University of Modena's Center for Regenerative Medicine in Italy, told the Associated Press. "It was not a miracle. It was simply a technique."
The Family Research Council blog has more, including ABC News video about the case. We also repeat what has become one of our mantras at "A Shepherd's Voice" ever since Prop 71 in California passed:
"Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
We must point out it was idiots in the press (like ABC News) that were foursquare behind ESCR, and painted those of us opposed to it as anti-science bigots.
Our friend Don Margolis has been beating the adult stem-cell drum (he refers to them as "repair stem-cells") for years, calling them the greatest medicine ever known to mankind, and it looks like he is right. Visit his website: http://donmargolis.com/blog/ and check out the list of diseases and conditions being treated with adult stem-cells.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Adult Stem-Cell Update! And Thanks, President Bush!
From Reuters:Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study
"By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said on Thursday.
Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
As readers of "A Shepherd's Voice" know this is just the latest in the cascade of treatments for diseases and conditions using adult stem-cells.
Why do we thank President Bush? Becuase his moral objection to government funded embryonic stem-cell research played a large part in encouraging businesses and research institutes to switch over to researching adult-stem cells, which turned out be where the treasure was buried.
The Calgary Herald covered this aspect of the issue today: "Results, not Bush, slowed embryonic stem cell research"
As always, Mr. Don Margolis has the latest stem-cell news, including the miraculous (of course, it's not really miraculous, it's just good science) multiple sclerosis story.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: Researchers Grow Heart From Human Skin Cells
One of our long-time mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice" is "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
There have been too many adult-stem cell advances to count, but we just ran across this one today. It's an August 14 report from io9.com:
Breakthrough: Scientists build a beating mouse heart with human tissue
Breakthrough: Scientists build a beating mouse heart with human tissue
In a major scientific first, a team of developmental biologists has built a functional mouse heart from human tissues. The results herald a future where specific patches of heart muscle – or even the whole organ – could be grown for transplantation.
The work, which was led by University of Pittsburgh's Lei Yang and is recounted in the latest issue of Nature Communications, hinges on the combination of two major regenerative medicine techniques. The first is the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). iPS cells are mature, differentiated cells (liver cells, for instance, or skin cells) that have been reprogrammed into an undifferentiated state.RELATED
Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can be stimulated by growth factors to give rise to a wide range of different cell types; just because an iPS cell started out as, say, a renal cell expelled in the urine, doesn't mean it can't be coaxed into becoming dental tissue (fun fact: a team of researchers recently did exactly that) – it just needs the right set of instructions. Yang and his colleagues took cells from a small biopsy of human skin, reverse-engineered them into iPS cells, then instructed them to produce what are called multipotential cardiovascular progenitor cells. These "MCP cells," as they're called, are the precursors to three very important types of heart cell: cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells."
The work, which was led by University of Pittsburgh's Lei Yang and is recounted in the latest issue of Nature Communications, hinges on the combination of two major regenerative medicine techniques. The first is the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). iPS cells are mature, differentiated cells (liver cells, for instance, or skin cells) that have been reprogrammed into an undifferentiated state.RELATED
Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can be stimulated by growth factors to give rise to a wide range of different cell types; just because an iPS cell started out as, say, a renal cell expelled in the urine, doesn't mean it can't be coaxed into becoming dental tissue (fun fact: a team of researchers recently did exactly that) – it just needs the right set of instructions. Yang and his colleagues took cells from a small biopsy of human skin, reverse-engineered them into iPS cells, then instructed them to produce what are called multipotential cardiovascular progenitor cells. These "MCP cells," as they're called, are the precursors to three very important types of heart cell: cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells."
The same article had an embedded link to another adult stem-cell advance:
Scientists grow teeth from human urine because why the hell not
"A new study shows that stem cells extracted from urine can be turned into rudimentary tooth-like structures."
"A new study shows that stem cells extracted from urine can be turned into rudimentary tooth-like structures."
Monday, March 9, 2009
Adult Stem Cell Update: Blind Girl Now Sees!
From the Telegraph UK:
Two-year-old girl can see for the first time following stem cell treatment
Dakota suffers from Septo-Optic Dysplasia, which means the optic nerve does not develop properly, and has responded quicker than expected to the treatment. Her parents, Wilma, 28, and dad Darren, 34, are hoping she will continue to improve and have a life time of sight....
Dr Tom Liu, a stem cell specialist and director of the centre, is planning a breakthrough medical report on its work in collaboration with UCLA to be published later this year.
Two-year-old girl can see for the first time following stem cell treatment
"Two-year-old British girl Dakota Clarke can see for the first time after undergoing pioneering stem cell treatment in China.
Dakota, who was born blind, is the first British patient to undergo the new type of therapy. The £30,000 treatment, which involves stems cells taken from an umbilical cord being fed into her forehead, has allowed her to see people, objects, colours and lights around her.
Dakota suffers from Septo-Optic Dysplasia, which means the optic nerve does not develop properly, and has responded quicker than expected to the treatment. Her parents, Wilma, 28, and dad Darren, 34, are hoping she will continue to improve and have a life time of sight....
Dr Tom Liu, a stem cell specialist and director of the centre, is planning a breakthrough medical report on its work in collaboration with UCLA to be published later this year.
He said: 'We are very impressed with Dakota's progress so far and hope further tests will reveal further improvements.
'The use of stem cells taken from the umbilical chord is completely safe. As we learn more about the way these cells work our results are getting better and better.'"
Now, since cures and treatments are being documented just about daily with adult or cord-blood stem-cells, and when all the biggest names in the field (Ian Wilmot, James Thomson, etc.) have abandoned embryonics, why is President Obama funding embryonic stem-cell research?
Simple: this isn't about science. The abortion industry wants ESCR because they can use it as a "moral" justification for abortion. And our culture is so wounded by legalized abortion that anything which seems to minimize its horror will be embraced as a psychological crutch.
Pray for an end to abortion, and that these wounds may heal. And Thanks be to God for little Dakota!
h/t as always, to Mr. Don Margolis
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Friday, May 9, 2008
Adult Stem-Cell Update
We have been a little remiss about posting on this subject, ever since the fantastic advances that have been made in reprogramming adult skin cells so that they behave like embryonic stem-cells. But the results of these new discoveries are momentous:
From the Catholic News Agency:
Human cloning bans advance in “radically changed” stem cell field
Perth, May 9, 2008 / 04:48 am (CNA).- In one of the first legislative actions involving embryonic cloning since the discovery of a breakthrough stem cell production technique, lawmakers in an Australian state have rejected legislation that would allow human cloning for research purposes, Cybercast News Service reports...
Dr. David Van Gend, national director of Australians for Ethical Stem Cell Research, said the lawmakers understood that stem cell science has “so radically changed since November 2007, providing such a magnificent and ethical alternative to cloning, that there is no longer any compelling argument for cloning.”
“This blighted science can be left to wither on the vine,” he said. Advocates of bans on such cloning argued the new discovery has “radically changed” the field and helps justify the prohibition of research that destroys human embryos."
We repeat what we said back on November 5, 2007: "God bless our wonderful doctors/scientists who are doing so much in an ethically and morally sound way."
Note: One of the most comprehensive websites documenting the seemingly miraculous treatments (they're not really miraculous, of course, but it's hard to find a more apt word) provided by adult stem-cells is that of Mr. Don Margolis. His blog section especially is constantly updated with news from around the world.
From the Catholic News Agency:
Human cloning bans advance in “radically changed” stem cell field
Perth, May 9, 2008 / 04:48 am (CNA).- In one of the first legislative actions involving embryonic cloning since the discovery of a breakthrough stem cell production technique, lawmakers in an Australian state have rejected legislation that would allow human cloning for research purposes, Cybercast News Service reports...
Dr. David Van Gend, national director of Australians for Ethical Stem Cell Research, said the lawmakers understood that stem cell science has “so radically changed since November 2007, providing such a magnificent and ethical alternative to cloning, that there is no longer any compelling argument for cloning.”
“This blighted science can be left to wither on the vine,” he said. Advocates of bans on such cloning argued the new discovery has “radically changed” the field and helps justify the prohibition of research that destroys human embryos."
We repeat what we said back on November 5, 2007: "God bless our wonderful doctors/scientists who are doing so much in an ethically and morally sound way."
Note: One of the most comprehensive websites documenting the seemingly miraculous treatments (they're not really miraculous, of course, but it's hard to find a more apt word) provided by adult stem-cells is that of Mr. Don Margolis. His blog section especially is constantly updated with news from around the world.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Adult Stem-Cell Update: Patient's new Windpipe Grown From Own Stem-Cells
Now for some good medical news. We have not blogged much about adult stem-cell treatments lately because there seem to be so many, but this caught our eye:
"Surgeons working at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have taken a huge step forward for regenerative medicine by successfully executing the world’s first synthetic organ transplant. The donor-less transplant saved the life of a 36-year-old cancer patient, who is doing well now after having received a new windpipe grown from his own stem cells.
This story is about as international as it gets: The Eritrean patient, Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, was pursuing his doctorate in geology in Iceland when his trachea was consumed by an inoperable tumor that grew so bad that it was actually blocking his breathing. So 3-D scans of his windpipe were sent to scientists at University College London, which crafted a glass scaffold that was a perfect match for Beyene’s trachea and two main bronchi.
The scaffold was in turn was sent to Sweden, where it was soaked in stem cells from Beyene’s own bone marrow. The stem cells took hold and within just two days had filled the scaffold, creating a new trachea that is, biologically speaking, Beyene’s own tissue. A 12-hour operation by an Italian surgeon specializing in trachea operations removed Beyene’s windpipe and all signs of the cancer and then replaced it with the new, lab-grown organ.
That was a month ago. Today, Beyene is recovering well. Because the organ was grown from his own cells, there is no risk of his body rejecting it and no need for the harsh regimen of anti-rejection drugs that usually go hand in hand with an organ transplant."
Praise God! Emphasis above added.
As always, we advise readers to check out the blog of Don Margolis, who has been beating the drum for adult stem-cells (which Don refers to, probably more accurately, as "repair stem cells') for years.
For all of our posts on adult stem-cell research and cures, go here. And we repeat one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
h/t Instapundit
"Surgeons working at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have taken a huge step forward for regenerative medicine by successfully executing the world’s first synthetic organ transplant. The donor-less transplant saved the life of a 36-year-old cancer patient, who is doing well now after having received a new windpipe grown from his own stem cells.
This story is about as international as it gets: The Eritrean patient, Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, was pursuing his doctorate in geology in Iceland when his trachea was consumed by an inoperable tumor that grew so bad that it was actually blocking his breathing. So 3-D scans of his windpipe were sent to scientists at University College London, which crafted a glass scaffold that was a perfect match for Beyene’s trachea and two main bronchi.
The scaffold was in turn was sent to Sweden, where it was soaked in stem cells from Beyene’s own bone marrow. The stem cells took hold and within just two days had filled the scaffold, creating a new trachea that is, biologically speaking, Beyene’s own tissue. A 12-hour operation by an Italian surgeon specializing in trachea operations removed Beyene’s windpipe and all signs of the cancer and then replaced it with the new, lab-grown organ.
That was a month ago. Today, Beyene is recovering well. Because the organ was grown from his own cells, there is no risk of his body rejecting it and no need for the harsh regimen of anti-rejection drugs that usually go hand in hand with an organ transplant."
Praise God! Emphasis above added.
As always, we advise readers to check out the blog of Don Margolis, who has been beating the drum for adult stem-cells (which Don refers to, probably more accurately, as "repair stem cells') for years.
For all of our posts on adult stem-cell research and cures, go here. And we repeat one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"
h/t Instapundit
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Adult Stem-Cell Update:
Many times in the SS. Peter and Paul weekly bulletin, we asked whether California voters were having second thoughts about allocating $3billion+ for morally indefensible, pie-in-the-sky embryonic stem-cell reasearch, that has yet to show a single treatment, while adult and cord-blood stem-cells are treating diseases right and left.
The latest, from Science Daily:
"A special type of cell found in the eye has been found to be very important in regenerating the retina in zebrafish and restoring vision even after extensive damage. Now, a UK team of scientists believe they may be able to use these cells -- known as Müller glial cells -- to regenerate damaged retina in humans, according to a study published this month in the journal Stem Cells.... Müller cells with stem cell properties could potentially restore sight to someone who is losing or has lost their sight due to diseased or damaged retina," says Dr Astrid Limb, who led the study. 'Our findings have enormous potential. It may be possible to store the cells in a cell bank and transplant them into the eye or to use cells from a person's own eye.'"
Read the whole thing.
And to see how investors are starting to bail from companies that are doing embryonic stem-cell research, visit Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam.
Posted by Gibbons (while Fr. John is on Retreat).
The latest, from Science Daily:
"A special type of cell found in the eye has been found to be very important in regenerating the retina in zebrafish and restoring vision even after extensive damage. Now, a UK team of scientists believe they may be able to use these cells -- known as Müller glial cells -- to regenerate damaged retina in humans, according to a study published this month in the journal Stem Cells.... Müller cells with stem cell properties could potentially restore sight to someone who is losing or has lost their sight due to diseased or damaged retina," says Dr Astrid Limb, who led the study. 'Our findings have enormous potential. It may be possible to store the cells in a cell bank and transplant them into the eye or to use cells from a person's own eye.'"
Read the whole thing.
And to see how investors are starting to bail from companies that are doing embryonic stem-cell research, visit Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam.
Posted by Gibbons (while Fr. John is on Retreat).
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: Adult Stem-Cells Transformed into Functional Lung Cells!
It's been one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice since Fr. Malloy, the Church and others opposed California's Proposition 71 in 2004: Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?
This is from Stem Cells Freak, a website devoted to stem-cell news:
This is from Stem Cells Freak, a website devoted to stem-cell news:
"Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center announced today that they have succeeded in transforming human induced pluripotent stem cells into functional lung and airway cells.
The advance, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.
"Researchers have had relative success in turning human stem cells into heart cells, pancreatic beta cells, intestinal cells, liver cells, and nerve cells, raising all sorts of possibilities for regenerative medicine. Now, we are finally able to make lung and airway cells.
This is important because lung transplants have a particularly poor prognosis. Although any clinical application is still many years away, we can begin thinking about making autologous lung transplants -- that is, transplants that use a patient's own skin cells to generate functional lung tissue.", said study leader Hans-Willem Snoeck, MD, PhD (above, left), professor of medicine (in microbiology & immunology) and affiliated with the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative."
The advance, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.
"Researchers have had relative success in turning human stem cells into heart cells, pancreatic beta cells, intestinal cells, liver cells, and nerve cells, raising all sorts of possibilities for regenerative medicine. Now, we are finally able to make lung and airway cells.
This is important because lung transplants have a particularly poor prognosis. Although any clinical application is still many years away, we can begin thinking about making autologous lung transplants -- that is, transplants that use a patient's own skin cells to generate functional lung tissue.", said study leader Hans-Willem Snoeck, MD, PhD (above, left), professor of medicine (in microbiology & immunology) and affiliated with the Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative."
God bless all scientists who are ethically doing so much to better the human condition!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Adult Stem Cell Update: More Amazing News
Check out this amazing video from ABC--well, amazing to people who have not been following the progress of adult stem-cells (or as our long time source for stem-cell news, Don Margolis, refers to them "repair stem-cells"). It's so amazing it's even a little creepy.
While the Obama Administration and the and the abortion-loving Democratic party are chasing the will-o-the-wisp of embryonic stem-cells, hoping for some amazing cure that will, in their minds, justify the 40 million+ murders they have supported since Roe v. Wade, adult stem-cells are continuing their absolutely unprecedented progress.
From the article:
"There's an 80% chance that in five months Bill Weir will be the first person ever to see his cardiac tissue beating outside his body.
Last week Bill visited Dr. Tim Nelson at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to report on a revolutionary new stem cell treatment that would have sounded like science fiction even five years ago.
Different from the controversial embryonic (Yes, it's morally acceptable and it works-ASP) stem cell treatment, Dr. Nelson's team took a biopsy from Bill's Bicep and are in the process of turning those cells into his own beating cardiac tissue; tissue that will beat at the same rate as the heart in his chest.
And this isn't just for the heart. After the biopsy is taken, doctors are able to wipe the hard drive of the cells and use them to create brain and lung tissue as well.
What this means is that in the future you may be able to go to your doctor and deposit a batch of cells, and if you have a stroke or heart attack later in life they'll be able to use those cells to repair the damage."
Let's hope the government does not get involved and screw things up.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
While the Obama Administration and the and the abortion-loving Democratic party are chasing the will-o-the-wisp of embryonic stem-cells, hoping for some amazing cure that will, in their minds, justify the 40 million+ murders they have supported since Roe v. Wade, adult stem-cells are continuing their absolutely unprecedented progress.
From the article:
"There's an 80% chance that in five months Bill Weir will be the first person ever to see his cardiac tissue beating outside his body.
Last week Bill visited Dr. Tim Nelson at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to report on a revolutionary new stem cell treatment that would have sounded like science fiction even five years ago.
Different from the controversial embryonic (Yes, it's morally acceptable and it works-ASP) stem cell treatment, Dr. Nelson's team took a biopsy from Bill's Bicep and are in the process of turning those cells into his own beating cardiac tissue; tissue that will beat at the same rate as the heart in his chest.
And this isn't just for the heart. After the biopsy is taken, doctors are able to wipe the hard drive of the cells and use them to create brain and lung tissue as well.
What this means is that in the future you may be able to go to your doctor and deposit a batch of cells, and if you have a stroke or heart attack later in life they'll be able to use those cells to repair the damage."
Let's hope the government does not get involved and screw things up.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE: Al Gore gets on Board.
Evan Al Gore gets it...at least when there is money involved.
From USA Today:
"Former vice president Al Gore is entering the stem cell arena with an announcement today of a $20 million biotech venture in the hot area of "induced pluripotent" stem cells.
Induced cells are attracting interest from researchers and biotech firms as an alternative to embryonic stem cells. Induced cells are made by inserting four genes into ordinary skin cells, and they offer a new path for "regenerative" medical treatments."
It's certainly not a moral issue with these guys. They don't invest in embryonic stem-cell research beacuse they don't think it will work.
It's been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice:" Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
From USA Today:
"Former vice president Al Gore is entering the stem cell arena with an announcement today of a $20 million biotech venture in the hot area of "induced pluripotent" stem cells.
Induced cells are attracting interest from researchers and biotech firms as an alternative to embryonic stem cells. Induced cells are made by inserting four genes into ordinary skin cells, and they offer a new path for "regenerative" medical treatments."
It's certainly not a moral issue with these guys. They don't invest in embryonic stem-cell research beacuse they don't think it will work.
It's been one of our mantras here at "A Shepherd's Voice:" Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Adult Stem-Cell UPDATE
Our friend Don Margolis has lots of new information about adult stem-cell treatments.
Check out this excellent video from "The Texas Alliance for Life." It's about a man whose heart (damaged by a heart attack) was totally healed using adult stem-cells. The Texas Alliance For Life is promoting a couple of bills in the Texas State Legslature to establish a consortium to further adult stem-cell research, which (unlike embryonic stem-cell research) is morally sound and actually produces results. One of the things I had not known was that when Californians gave $3billion+ to Proposition 71, a stated goal of the ESCR backers was to produce just one treatment within 10 years. This, while adult stem-cells are treating and curing people just about weekly if not daily.
Check out this excellent video from "The Texas Alliance for Life." It's about a man whose heart (damaged by a heart attack) was totally healed using adult stem-cells. The Texas Alliance For Life is promoting a couple of bills in the Texas State Legslature to establish a consortium to further adult stem-cell research, which (unlike embryonic stem-cell research) is morally sound and actually produces results. One of the things I had not known was that when Californians gave $3billion+ to Proposition 71, a stated goal of the ESCR backers was to produce just one treatment within 10 years. This, while adult stem-cells are treating and curing people just about weekly if not daily.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Adult Stem-Cell Update
When California taxpayers were suckered into shelling out $3billion+ for Proposition 71, they were told it would place the state at the forefront of the "Stem-Cell Revolution." Well, apparently not.
This week Professor Ian Wilmut, who created Dolly the cloned sheep, shocked the scientific world by his decision to abandon cloning, and instead concentrate on new techniques where stem-cells are created from human skin cells. It should be noted that Professor Wilmot has no ethical objection to using embryonic stem-cells--he just thinks there are better ways to reach the goal.
The Guardian reports: "The news will come as a blow to scientists who believe that the use of embryos to create stem cells is the best way to develop treatments for serious medical conditions such as stroke, heart disease and Parkinson's disease.Unlike current stem cell research, the new method does not require the use of human embryos, which has caused controversy in the past decade. Full details of the new technique have not yet been unveiled but Wilmut described it as "extremely exciting and astonishing."
This is a big story, and has also been covered by the Telegraph, The Associated Press, and the BBC, among others.
Update: And the satirical site Scrappleface has fun with the story: Dolly Dad Dumps Cloning, Doesn't Discourage Democrats
“There’s no reason to give up on the search for miracles,” said Rep. Pelosi, “Now is the time to redouble our efforts to increase the value of human life by spurring a vibrant after-market for embryonic byproducts. America should lead the world in this growth industry.”
h/t "Regular Guy"
This week Professor Ian Wilmut, who created Dolly the cloned sheep, shocked the scientific world by his decision to abandon cloning, and instead concentrate on new techniques where stem-cells are created from human skin cells. It should be noted that Professor Wilmot has no ethical objection to using embryonic stem-cells--he just thinks there are better ways to reach the goal.
The Guardian reports: "The news will come as a blow to scientists who believe that the use of embryos to create stem cells is the best way to develop treatments for serious medical conditions such as stroke, heart disease and Parkinson's disease.Unlike current stem cell research, the new method does not require the use of human embryos, which has caused controversy in the past decade. Full details of the new technique have not yet been unveiled but Wilmut described it as "extremely exciting and astonishing."
This is a big story, and has also been covered by the Telegraph, The Associated Press, and the BBC, among others.
Update: And the satirical site Scrappleface has fun with the story: Dolly Dad Dumps Cloning, Doesn't Discourage Democrats
“There’s no reason to give up on the search for miracles,” said Rep. Pelosi, “Now is the time to redouble our efforts to increase the value of human life by spurring a vibrant after-market for embryonic byproducts. America should lead the world in this growth industry.”
h/t "Regular Guy"
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Adult Stem-Cell Update
The Family Research Council reports on adult stem-cell victories from Janury-June 2008.
Conditions and diseases treated and victories achieved JUST IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS include:
Autoimmune Disorders
multiple sclerosis
recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa
Heart Tissue Regeneration
Breast Reconstruction
Graft vs. Host Disease
Leukemia
Neuroblastoma
Organ Transplants
Parkinson's Disease
Cerebral Palsy
Multiple Myeloma
Lower Limb Ischemia
Vision Restoration
Sickle Cell Disease
We admit we didn't even know what some of these things are. But we do know immoral Embryonic Stem-Cell Research, for which the voters of California have shelled out $3billion+, has never cured even one thing. Go to the Family Research website and see for yourself.
As always with adult stem-cell news, h/t to Mr. Don Margolis.
Conditions and diseases treated and victories achieved JUST IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS include:
Autoimmune Disorders
multiple sclerosis
recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa
Heart Tissue Regeneration
Breast Reconstruction
Graft vs. Host Disease
Leukemia
Neuroblastoma
Organ Transplants
Parkinson's Disease
Cerebral Palsy
Multiple Myeloma
Lower Limb Ischemia
Vision Restoration
Sickle Cell Disease
We admit we didn't even know what some of these things are. But we do know immoral Embryonic Stem-Cell Research, for which the voters of California have shelled out $3billion+, has never cured even one thing. Go to the Family Research website and see for yourself.
As always with adult stem-cell news, h/t to Mr. Don Margolis.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Stem-Cell Update!
A while back, Fr. Malloy posted to a Zenit story about the Michigan Catholic Conference's very impressive new statewide stem-cell educational program.
Now the Conference's package is online. It is a fantastic resource that addresses basic questions such as "What is a stem-cell?" and also the differences between adult/cord-blood stem-cells and embryonic stem cells. It lists the various conditions treated by adult/cord blood stem-cells (lots) vs. those conditions treated by embryonic stem-cells (zero). Theres is also video and an excellent brochure clearly outling church teaching on the subject. And for those who want to pursue the subject more deeply, there is a 16 page guide to peer-reviewed literature on the subject.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Now the Conference's package is online. It is a fantastic resource that addresses basic questions such as "What is a stem-cell?" and also the differences between adult/cord-blood stem-cells and embryonic stem cells. It lists the various conditions treated by adult/cord blood stem-cells (lots) vs. those conditions treated by embryonic stem-cells (zero). Theres is also video and an excellent brochure clearly outling church teaching on the subject. And for those who want to pursue the subject more deeply, there is a 16 page guide to peer-reviewed literature on the subject.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
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