Stem Cell treatment helps to cure MS

[Cajuncowboy]

Once again, it's important to note that another major break in using stem cells are NOT from Embryonic stem cells but from adult or self generating stem cells.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,498464,00.html

College Student With Multiple Sclerosis Symptom-Free After Stem-Cell Treatment

Monday, February 23, 2009

Edwin McClure, a Virginia Commonwealth University advertising graduate student, says a stem-cell study he participated in appears to have cured his multiple sclerosis symptoms.

McClure started showing symptoms of MS in 2000 when he was a senior in high school.

Although he initially thought it was just a cold, he knew the condition was more serious when his vision began blurring.

"It was like someone turning down the dimmer switch," McClure said.

When his neurologist told him he was showing the symptoms of MS, he was surprised and confused."

It threw me for a loop," McClure said. "This is a disease that typically hits 40-year-old white women and I'm like, 'I'm an 18-year-old black male.' Somebody didn't get the memo."

McClure said being hooked up to an IV for the steroid treatments forced him to confront this sickness. He suffered from extreme fatigue, allergy attacks, heat intolerance and bad balance. McClure said his symptoms made it difficult to spend time with his loved ones.

"It's a huge burden of being a constant burden to those around you," McClure said.

McClure's mother, Bernice McClure, said she was devastated but would not lose hope.

"I was hoping to find whatever was out there that was going to help him long-term," the woman said.

In 2005, Dr. Katarina Bilikova told Bernice McClure about the clinical trial, led by Dr. Richard Burt at Northwestern University.

The trial used the patient's own stem cells to regenerate the immune system and reverse the symptoms of MS. The trial consisted of 21 patients. According to the lead author of the study, this is the first study to show an actual reversal of the disease.

McClure flew to Evanston, Ill., to participate. During the course of the trial, doctors took out McClure's own stem cells and used them to grow more cells. He then was given a course of chemotherapy to wipe out his immune system.

The treatment took nearly a month. McClure called this time "the lock down period." He was not allowed to go anywhere or have any visitors. He continued his undergraduate classes online.

"The hardest part was thinking about all my friends. I was just staying home watching 'A Different World' re-runs," McClure said.

Meanwhile, he was able to keep his disease hidden from his friends back at school. He said he didn't want to tell anyone, for fear of seeming weak. McClure's hair started falling out after four weeks.

He said the one thing he thought about was his high school football coach.

"He always said, 'If your minds are weak, your bodies are weak', " McClure said.

It was this mantra that helped McClure decide to shave off his hair.

After the month was complete, McClure returned to the hospital. His harvested stem cells then were transplanted back into his body.

When his cell count started increasing and McClure's symptoms started getting better, he and his mother knew the trial might have worked. Three years later, McClure said his symptoms have disappeared.

"This is the first study to actually show reversal of disability," Burt told Bloomberg.com on Jan. 30. "Some people had complete disappearance of all symptoms."

The treatment will go through one more trial before it can become an approved treatment for MS. McClure is finishing his second year as a graduate student in advertising at VCU and said if it wasn't for the treatment, he never would have been able to handle the pressures of grad school.

"It opened up the fence that MS had me locked into," Edwin said. Edwin and his mother attribute the success of the treatment to their faith.

"Without having God in our lives, I don't think any one of us would have made it through,"Bernice McClure said.

McClure said, "I would have quit after my second semester."

McClure plans to graduate from the VCU advertising graduate program in May.

This story was filed by UWIRE, which offers reporting from more than 800 colleges and universities worldwide. Read more at www.uwire.com

[Hoofbite]

Cool story. Hopefully more can come from stem cell research.

[tyke1doe]

I've often wonder why they don't use (or use to a greater degree) the "after birth" material for stem cell research. :huh:

[dback]

I've often wonder why they don't use (or use to a greater degree) the "after birth" material for stem cell research. :huh:

That is what I do not get either, there are plenty of stem cells in umbilical (sp?) cord that should be just as good as stem cells formed from zygotes. I think that there is some political stubbornness as well as some general misunderstandings about stem cells. Then again, I am not an expert.

[Jon88]

I'm glad we can start researching them now.

[masomenos]

I've often wonder why they don't use (or use to a greater degree) the "after birth" material for stem cell research. :huh:

From my understanding, the stem cells that could be harvested from afterbirth material are already considered adult stem cells. The vast majority of them are multipotent, as opposed to embryonic stem cells that are pluripotent. A multipotent stem cell is not as flexible in its applications, while a pluripotent stem cell can become almost anything.

So, they don't use afterbirth material to a greater degree because they can't. Now, one thing that I have heard that might be possible is a process which takes an adult stem cell and returns it to a pluri or totipotent state. That would make adult stem cells just as "valuable" as embryonic cells and would sidestep ethical concerns.

[BrAinPaiNt]

I am confused...why are they using stem cells to try and fix microsoft bugs?

[tyke1doe]

From my understanding, the stem cells that could be harvested from afterbirth material are already considered adult stem cells. The vast majority of them are multipotent, as opposed to embryonic stem cells that are pluripotent. A multipotent stem cell is not as flexible in its applications, while a pluripotent stem cell can become almost anything.

So, they don't use afterbirth material to a greater degree because they can't. Now, one thing that I have heard that might be possible is a process which takes an adult stem cell and returns it to a pluri or totipotent state. That would make adult stem cells just as "valuable" as embryonic cells and would sidestep ethical concerns.

Wow.

Thanks for that explanation. I never knew that. Of course, you could be sprouting nonsense, and I still wouldn't know. :laugh2:

Nevertheless, thanks for answering my question.

[Cajuncowboy]

I'm glad we can start researching them now.

They always could do research on them. It was only the embryonic they couldn't. Now Obama has lifted that ban now they can destroy human embryos to study.

Which has not shown even close to the success as described here. There really is no reason to do that.

[masomenos]

They always could do research on them. It was only the embryonic they couldn't. Now Obama has lifted that ban now they can destroy human embryos to study.

Which has not shown even close to the success as described here. There really is no reason to do that.

Well, of course more success has been made with adult stem cells. That's where the vast majority of research and funding has been for almost a decade.

[CowboyWay]

They always could do research on them. It was only the embryonic they couldn't. Now Obama has lifted that ban now they can destroy human embryos to study.

Which has not shown even close to the success as described here. There really is no reason to do that.

Thats very misleading. They don't "create" embryos just to destroy them. No matter what the religious right want you to believe.

So they've made some great progress with adult stem cells, which you seem to be in favor of, but what if the biggest breakthroughs were coming from the embryonic cells. Would you still be against it?

[Hoofbite]

Well, of course more success has been made with adult stem cells. That's where the vast majority of research and funding has been for almost a decade.

I was going to say the same thing. Adult research has gotten all the funds. Wasn't that how Bush handled it? Didn't outlaw anything but just said the embryotic research had to get its funds privately. Pretty much meaning it wouldn't go anywhere.

As far as embryotic research, why not? Talking about leftovers from invitro techniques.

So instead of OctoMom getting 8 new babies, maybe she gets 6 and sciences gets a few to possibly cure a disease.

All kidding aside, I really don't know what to think or where to lean. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

[heavyg]

I was going to say the same thing. Adult research has gotten all the funds. Wasn't that how Bush handled it? Didn't outlaw anything but just said the embryotic research had to get its funds privately. Pretty much meaning it wouldn't go anywhere.

As far as embryotic research, why not? Talking about leftovers from invitro techniques.

So instead of OctoMom getting 8 new babies, maybe she gets 6 and sciences gets a few to possibly cure a disease.

All kidding aside, I really don't know what to think or where to lean. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.


Well lets just take it a step further and just clone a bunch of babies and use them. :bang2: I have no problem with research as long as an innocent life isn't destroyed to do it.

[Cajuncowboy]

Well, of course more success has been made with adult stem cells. That's where the vast majority of research and funding has been for almost a decade.

But prior to the ban on the Embryonic research, there was still vastly more progress with the adult version.

[Cajuncowboy]

Thats very misleading. They don't "create" embryos just to destroy them. No matter what the religious right want you to believe.

So they've made some great progress with adult stem cells, which you seem to be in favor of, but what if the biggest breakthroughs were coming from the embryonic cells. Would you still be against it?

Oh but that's what they were doing. No matter what the godless left want you to think. :rolleyes:

If they are making great progress with Adult cells why would you divert funds into something that has proven to be void of results?

And so, to answer your question there has been nothing to prove that embryonic research has lead to anything. So no, I am not in favor of it. And even if it were so, I would be against destroying any innocent life.

[tyke1doe]

Thats very misleading. They don't "create" embryos just to destroy them. No matter what the religious right want you to believe.

I don't think he said they "created" them to destroy them. At least, that's not how I read his comments.

[Hoofbite]

Well lets just take it a step further and just clone a bunch of babies and use them. :bang2: I have no problem with research as long as an innocent life isn't destroyed to do it.

Wouldn't you have to use ebryotic stem cells just to clone the babies?

Seems a little counterproductive.

[Cajuncowboy]

I don't think he said they "created" them to destroy them. At least, that's not how I read his comments.

You are correct, I didn't say that. However, it has been done in the past, which is why Bush froze the existing stem cell lines and no more could be created.

[Cajuncowboy]

Wouldn't you have to use ebryotic stem cells just to clone the babies?

Seems a little counterproductive.

I'm thinking he was being sarcastic.

[Hoofbite]

But prior to the ban on the Embryonic research, there was still vastly more progress with the adult version.

Do you have a source to compare the two. I'd like to see just what was accomplished before the ban on funding for ebryotic cells.

[heavyg]

I'm thinking he was being sarcastic.

Yes I was. Thank you

[Hoofbite]

I'm thinking he was being sarcastic.

Im well aware he was being sarcastic. And so was I in my previous post where I said "All kidding aside".

[Cajuncowboy]

Im well aware he was being sarcastic. And so was I in my previous post where I said "All kidding aside".

The internet is so one dimensional sometimes. :D

[Cajuncowboy]

Do you have a source to compare the two. I'd like to see just what was accomplished before the ban on funding for ebryotic cells.

No, I don't have that info filed away for future use but I am sure a quick google of it may get you somewhere.

[Hoofbite]

The internet is so one dimensional sometimes. :D

Far too often.

[ethiostar]

From my understanding, the stem cells that could be harvested from afterbirth material are already considered adult stem cells. The vast majority of them are multipotent, as opposed to embryonic stem cells that are pluripotent. A multipotent stem cell is not as flexible in its applications, while a pluripotent stem cell can become almost anything.

So, they don't use afterbirth material to a greater degree because they can't. Now, one thing that I have heard that might be possible is a process which takes an adult stem cell and returns it to a pluri or totipotent state. That would make adult stem cells just as "valuable" as embryonic cells and would sidestep ethical concerns.

Thanks for the info, didn't know that.

[masomenos]

But prior to the ban on the Embryonic research, there was still vastly more progress with the adult version.

That's because it's easier to work with a multipotent cell, that has limited faculties, than it is to work with one that can become anything. In a multipotent cell, a portion of the cellular construction has already taken place. It's "fate" has partially been decided. Of course, that leaves less work for the researchers.

A blank stem cell is far more valuable than an adult stem cell. The fact that more progress has been made with adult stem cells, to this point, is not an indication that they have a greater utility than embryonic stem cells.

[CowboyWay]

Oh but that's what they were doing. No matter what the godless left want you to think. :rolleyes:

If they are making great progress with Adult cells why would you divert funds into something that has proven to be void of results?

And so, to answer your question there has been nothing to prove that embryonic research has lead to anything. So no, I am not in favor of it. And even if it were so, I would be against destroying any innocent life.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Open your eyes man.

Thats not what they were doing. Not even close. They were using embryos that were left over from invitro. NOBODY on earth was just creating life to kill it and use the stem cells. Its absolutely ridiculous to believe that. It just doesn't happen.

To say they are making great progress with Adult cells without tapping the same funding into embryos is silly. How do you know whats around the corner unless you look?
Its like saying to an eye doctor, "We are making great progress with these eyeglasses, there's no need to look into this lasic surgery"......

If I can only get you to admit that no innocent lives are being killed for this purpose, you would see that there is no harm in looking into the embryonic cells for future advancements. You get caught up on the "innocent life" part. And that just doesn't have anything to do with it.

[Cajuncowboy]

That's because it's easier to work with a multipotent cell, that has limited faculties, than it is to work with one that can become anything. In a multipotent cell, a portion of the cellular construction has already taken place. It's "fate" has partially been decided. Of course, that leaves less work for the researchers.

A blank stem cell is far more valuable than an adult stem cell. The fact that more progress has been made with adult stem cells, to this point, is not an indication that they have a greater utility than embryonic stem cells.

But if you are closer in terms of finding cures for different diseases using the Adult cells and have no proven advancements at all with the embryonic, plus you have the whole ethical issue as well, why would you support taking the funding from the one that is producing only to be given to an area that has been vedoid of any real progress at all?

[Cajuncowboy]

This is absolutely ridiculous. Open your eyes man.

Thats not what they were doing. Not even close. They were using embryos that were left over from invitro. NOBODY on earth was just creating life to kill it and use the stem cells. Its absolutely ridiculous to believe that. It just doesn't happen.

To say they are making great progress with Adult cells without tapping the same funding into embryos is silly. How do you know whats around the corner unless you look?
Its like saying to an eye doctor, "We are making great progress with these eyeglasses, there's no need to look into this lasic surgery"......

If I can only get you to admit that no innocent lives are being killed for this purpose, you would see that there is no harm in looking into the embryonic cells for future advancements. You get caught up on the "innocent life" part. And that just doesn't have anything to do with it.

No what's silly is that thinking the embryos aren't viable. And they certainly are. The lines that existed were all viable embryos.

And your scenario is off the mark. Did lasick surgery pose an ethical question regarding life?

No, so your point is moot.

[CowboyWay]

But if you are closer in terms of finding cures for different diseases using the Adult cells and have no proven advancements at all with the embryonic, plus you have the whole ethical issue as well, why would you support taking the funding from the one that is producing only to be given to an area that has been vedoid of any real progress at all?

Most scientists agreed at the beginning of all of this that embryonic cells had more promise. They were a "blank slate".

There was little money to do much hard core research on it though, because most of the funding went away under bush.

There is no ethical issue on this from anyone other than the religious right. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they don't understand that life isn't being created to be destroyed.

But to say they have been devoid of any progress while not recognizing the fact that they haven't had the same funding, just doesn't add up.

[CowboyWay]

No what's silly is that thinking the embryos aren't viable. And they certainly are. The lines that existed were all viable embryos.

And your scenario is off the mark. Did lasick surgery pose an ethical question regarding life?

No, so your point is moot.

So 8 eggs are fertilized by invitro. 6 "take". 4 are implanted.

that leaves you 2. How do you define those as "viable". What would you rather see them do with them? Please tell me.

I'd rather use them to try to help save a life. The only alternative is to trash them.

[ethiostar]

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embryonic_stem_cell

[TheCount]

No what's silly is that thinking the embryos aren't viable. And they certainly are. The lines that existed were all viable embryos.

And your scenario is off the mark. Did lasick surgery pose an ethical question regarding life?

No, so your point is moot.

Hell yeah, my naturally great vision is a lot less special now that any clown can go in and have a doctor use that darn technology and make their vision good as well.

[masomenos]

But if you are closer in terms of finding cures for different diseases using the Adult cells and have no proven advancements at all with the embryonic, plus you have the whole ethical issue as well, why would you support taking the funding from the one that is producing only to be given to an area that has been vedoid of any real progress at all?

Well, it's not true that there are no proven advancements with embryonic cells.

Ethics aside, from a scientific standpoint it is important to continue moving forward with embryonic research because they can do even more than adult stem cells. For every disease and handicap that an adult stem cell can cure, an embryonic stem cell can do the same and more. That's why a significant amount of research is being devoted to figuring out how to reverse engineer multipotent adult cells back into pluripotent cells.

[ethiostar]

Stem cell controversy is the ethical debate centered on research involving the creation, usage and destruction of human embryonic stem cells. Extraction of such cells using current technology requires the destruction of the human embryo. [1] Some opponents of the research argue that this practice is a slippery slope to non-reproductive cloning and fundamentally devalues the worth of a human being. Contrarily, some medical researchers argue that it is necessary to pursue embryonic stem cell research because the resultant technologies could have significant medical potential, and that excess embryos created for in vitro fertilization could be donated with consent and used for the research. This in turn, conflicts with opponents in the pro-life movement, who advocate for the protection of pre-born human life. The ensuing debate has prompted authorities around the world to seek regulatory frameworks and highlighted the fact that embryonic stem cell research represents a social and ethical challenge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_controversy

[ChldsPlay]

You know, there are plenty of other countries outside the US that have continued studying embryonic stem cells. The US doesn't have the authority to ban it for the entire world. I haven't heard anything about anyone else doing anything significant with embryonic stem cells. Maybe they just aren't good for much. Maybe they're not meant to be used for that.

[burmafrd]

Europe and elsewhere funded LOTS of research on embryonic cells. Its a common pathetic tactic of libs to claim no research has been done. TOTAL BS. PRIVATELY FUNDED RESEARCH has been done out the yang. And As I mentioned Europe and elsewhere never stopped or even slowed down. AND WHERE ARE ALL THOSE BREAKTHROUGHS that nitwit Hollywood stars claimed would come? NOWHERE.

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Thats very misleading. They don't "create" embryos just to destroy them. No matter what the religious right want you to believe.

So they've made some great progress with adult stem cells, which you seem to be in favor of, but what if the biggest breakthroughs were coming from the embryonic cells. Would you still be against it?

My wife and I had a few left over after our IVF cycle. I hope they used them for stem cell research.

[DaBoys4Life]

this reminds me of a family guy episode when peter griffin had a stroke...

[ScipioCowboy]

Europe and elsewhere funded LOTS of research on embryonic cells. Its a common pathetic tactic of libs to claim no research has been done. TOTAL BS. PRIVATELY FUNDED RESEARCH has been done out the yang. And As I mentioned Europe and elsewhere never stopped or even slowed down. AND WHERE ARE ALL THOSE BREAKTHROUGHS that nitwit Hollywood stars claimed would come? NOWHERE.

Nowhere? What do you think keeps Sean Penn alive? Certainly not his brain.:p:

[ScipioCowboy]

Europe and elsewhere funded LOTS of research on embryonic cells. Its a common pathetic tactic of libs to claim no research has been done. TOTAL BS. PRIVATELY FUNDED RESEARCH has been done out the yang. And As I mentioned Europe and elsewhere never stopped or even slowed down. AND WHERE ARE ALL THOSE BREAKTHROUGHS that nitwit Hollywood stars claimed would come? NOWHERE.

Just to expound on your point a little more: If these activists feel so strongly about it, why don't they simply donate their money to the private researchers who perform embryonic stem cell research? Why must the government donate their money for them?

Show some initiative.;)

[JBond]

Well, it's not true that there are no proven advancements with embryonic cells.

For every disease and handicap that an adult stem cell can cure, an embryonic stem cell can do the same and more.

Says who? You?
There is no conclusive evidence that embryonic stem cells are more effective than adult stem cells. In fact the vast majority of evidence points in the opposite direction. There have been multiple breakthroughs with adult stem cells.

[JBond]

Just to expound on your point a little more: If these activists feel so strongly about it, why don't they simply donate their money to the private researchers who perform embryonic stem cell research? Why must the government donate their money for them?

Show some initiative.;)

I will always remain skeptical of people that run to the government for money claiming their idea is the best but they just need some more money from tax payers to prove it.

[burmafrd]

Yeah and how many of these Hollywood types write their own checks for research? VERY FEW.

[Hoofbite]

Just to expound on your point a little more: If these activists feel so strongly about it, why don't they simply donate their money to the private researchers who perform embryonic stem cell research? Why must the government donate their money for them?

Show some initiative.;)

The government is where the vast majority of funding for all research comes from. To expect activists to be able to match that is unreasonable. Most advances take a good amount of time.

Theres no way any group of celebrities could possibly fund a program for any extended period of time.

[ScipioCowboy]

The government is where the vast majority of funding for all research comes from. To expect activists to be able to match that is unreasonable. Most advances take a good amount of time.

Theres no way any group of celebrities could possibly fund a program for any extended period of time.

The American people fund the government. If a large enough portion of the American population has moral qualms with embryonic stem cell research, they're perfectly justified in their efforts to avoid funding it.

And my comment isn't limited to celebrities. Anybody can fund embryonic stem cell research and should be funding it if they believe in it so strongly.

[burmafrd]

Thats a real cop out. They have lots of money but as I pointed out how often do they write personal checks? And for how much? If some star is making 10-20 million each picture and making 2 pictures a year then if this is SO IMPORTANT they need to pony up some serious money- like a million or so. BUT DO THEY?
And where are all the liberal billionaires with their money? Outside of Bill Gates and a couple of others how many of them put down serious money?
If stem cell research is SO IMPORTANT to them then they could fund a lot of it themselves.

[masomenos]

Says who? You?
There is no conclusive evidence that embryonic stem cells are more effective than adult stem cells. In fact the vast majority of evidence points in the opposite direction. There have been multiple breakthroughs with adult stem cells.

I'm not saying that they are more effective, I'm saying that they can be. That's just the way it is, a pluripotent cell is more useful than a multipotent cell. It's the reason why scientists are trying to find ways to return adult stem cells to pluripotent states. It's fantastic that we've made so many breakthroughs with adult stem cells and the ability to, in effect, reverse the aging of an adult cell is incredibly promising. However, we would be further along, in both fields, if there had been equal funding and research in the U.S.

[burmafrd]

why don't you do some research on funding maso. Check out how much has been done in Europe and elsewhere. How much money has been thrown at it and how little has come from it compared to other types.

[masomenos]

why don't you do some research on funding maso. Check out how much has been done in Europe and elsewhere. How much money has been thrown at it and how little has come from it compared to other types.

Medical research in Latvia isn't the same as medical research in the United States. No country is on par with us in terms of research capabilities or medical breakthroughs. Based on potential, pluripotent cells are more valuable.

[BadWolf]

Medical research in Latvia isn't the same as medical research in the United States. No country is on par with us in terms of research capabilities or medical breakthroughs. Based on potential, pluripotent cells are more valuable.

Isn't that where Dr. Doom lives? If he has enough money to make all of those killer robots then surely he has enough for medical research.

EDIT: Robots don't really need medical services because they are robots so I guess not.

EDIT 2: Its Latvaria... so this whole post was moo.

[masomenos]

Isn't that where Dr. Doom lives? If he has enough money to make all of those killer robots then surely he has enough for medical research.

EDIT: Robots don't really need medical services because they are robots so I guess not.

EDIT 2: Its Latvaria... so this whole post was moo.

:laugh2:

[ScipioCowboy]

Medical research in Latvia isn't the same as medical research in the United States. No country is on par with us in terms of research capabilities or medical breakthroughs. Based on potential, pluripotent cells are more valuable.

Medical science in Europe, however, is comparable. Perhaps we lead the world in medical breakthroughs because we don't chase white rabbits down holes.:D

[masomenos]

Medical science in Europe, however, is comparable. Perhaps we lead the world in medical breakthroughs because we don't chase white rabbits down holes.:D

Oh, I think that a certain amount of rabbit chasing and fools errands are necessary for scientific advancement.

[ScipioCowboy]

Oh, I think that a certain amount of rabbit chasing and fools errands are necessary for scientific advancement.

With the number of rejection letters I receive, I know a thing or two about fools errands.:p:

[masomenos]

With the number of rejection letters I receive, I know a thing or two about fools errands.:p:

Sounds like my social life.

ZING!

:leave:

[burmafrd]

Masom . So you are saying that all of Europe is like Latvia>England France Germany Italy Switzerland etc are all third world countries and only real research goes on in the USA funded by the federal government?

[CowboyWay]

Oh, I think that a certain amount of rabbit chasing and fools errands are necessary for scientific advancement.

You mean like looking a bit closer at moldy bread instead of just throwing it out? I wonder if anything could ever come of that.

[masomenos]

Masom . So you are saying that all of Europe is like Latvia>England France Germany Italy Switzerland etc are all third world countries and only real research goes on in the USA funded by the federal government?

Well, no, I was just kidding with the Latvia line. However, in terms of research talent and measurable success, the U.S. is outperforms Europe. I mean, we have public universities, like U of Michigan, getting medical research funding of $400 million+ and private universities like John Hopkins spending nearly $1.6 billion this past year on med. research.

Some of that is federally funded and some isn't. However, research projects with federal backing almost always get the green light of projects that have to be funded entirely from the private sector.

Raise an ethical issue if you want, but the amount of progress made from research in other countries (over a fairly a short period of time) is not indicative of what could be accomplished over here. Since when has science ever been treated with the "let's forget about it since we haven't figured it out yet" mentality? As I said, it's obvious that embryonic stem cells hold greater potential because they are pluripotent, that's why so much effort has been made to return multipotent cells to a pluripotent state.

[burmafrd]

Yeah its so obvious but it has not happened. SO maybe YOU are wrong and its NOT true. Science has many times taking so called conventional wisdom and show it was conventional STUPIDITY.
1000 years ago it was conventional wisdom that the Earth was FLAT.
500 years ago it was conventional wisdom that witchcraft existed.

And do you have hard figures to show that there is more research going on in the US then in Europe in stem cell research. If so then show it.
Your talk about how it is all about US federaly funded research does not prove anything.

[MetalHead]

It helps cure MS?
Does it help cure DIAF?

[ScipioCowboy]

Raise an ethical issue if you want, but the amount of progress made from research in other countries (over a fairly a short period of time) is not indicative of what could be accomplished over here. Since when has science ever been treated with the "let's forget about it since we haven't figured it out yet" mentality? As I said, it's obvious that embryonic stem cells hold greater potential because they are pluripotent, that's why so much effort has been made to return multipotent cells to a pluripotent state.

Need I remind you that Isaac Newton's first love was alchemy?:D

I understand the point you're making, though.

[masomenos]

Yeah its so obvious but it has not happened. SO maybe YOU are wrong and its NOT true. Science has many times taking so called conventional wisdom and show it was conventional STUPIDITY.
1000 years ago it was conventional wisdom that the Earth was FLAT.
500 years ago it was conventional wisdom that witchcraft existed.

And do you have hard figures to show that there is more research going on in the US then in Europe in stem cell research. If so then show it.
Your talk about how it is all about US federaly funded research does not prove anything.

It is true that pluripotent cells are more versatile than multipotent cells, it's been observed in natural cellular development. As a cell matures it loses it's versatility. Adult stem cells have a ton of potential in certain areas but in some areas, like the brain, they are incredibly difficult to harvest. That's where the value of a pluripotent cell comes in, since it still has the potential to be a brain cell, it can be engineered and used in a way that an adult stem cell can't.

I didn't say that there is more stem cell research done in the US than abroad. I said that our research capabilities exceed that of Europe, that's why we are the worlds leader in the medical field. The talk of not having federally funded embryonic stem cell research is a big issue. Companies and universities don't dedicate money to researching something where they have to account for the entire cost. Companies and universities do not (or very rarely) dedicate money to researching projects which are not approved by the gov't because there's a good liklihood that any final product won't be approved either.

[burmafrd]

Lots of talk but you still show no proof of anything.
Just like embryonic stem cells, despite years of research in Europe and elsewhere, have not shown anything.

[Hoofbite]

Lots of talk but you still show no proof of anything.
Just like embryonic stem cells, despite years of research in Europe and elsewhere, have not shown anything.

Even though science believes that embryonic research holds a lot of potential, it really doesn't because you say so?

Just want to make sure that I am keep score correctly because that's what looks like is going on here.

Human embryonic and adult stem cells each have advantages and disadvantages regarding potential use for cell-based regenerative therapies. Of course, adult and embryonic stem cells differ in the number and type of differentiated cells types they can become. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are generally limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin. However, some evidence suggests that adult stem cell plasticity may exist, increasing the number of cell types a given adult stem cell can become.

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics5.asp

Sounds a lot like what maso was saying.

[masomenos]

Lots of talk but you still show no proof of anything.
Just like embryonic stem cells, despite years of research in Europe and elsewhere, have not shown anything.

Actually, I've explained it a couple of times now.