Posts Tagged ‘Stem Cell Research’

Helping You Research Stem Cells Online

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

stem cell research funding

There are many reasons why you may be interested in research stem cells. Perhaps you’re majoring in biology or another medical science in college and you’re considering getting into the brave new field of stem cell therapies. Or maybe you’re a patient suffering from heart disease, diabetes, damaged tissue, a spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer or stroke, and you’re looking for an alternate treatment. Treatment using stemcells is still a long way off, although human clinical trials are expected to begin this summer and the possibilities are promising.

One place to do some research on stem cells is the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Despite former President Bush’s ban on federal stem cell research funding, the rogue Californians approved a 2004 ballot initiative (Proposition 71) that set aside state funds for just that purpose. As a result, $3 billion was appropriated to California research facilities, making the state an epicenter of stem cell news. On their site, you might like to read their comprehensive annual report, which reads much more like a magazine than a lofty scientific publication. You can read about awards, stem cell therapy treatments, studies and stem cell research facilities at www.cirm.ca.gov/pub/pdf/annual_rpt_08.pdf.

Science Daily is an all-around great medical news site, where you can also research stem cells. Some recent headlines include: “Stem Cells Jumpstart Bone’s Healing Process,” “Stem Cell Therapy Makes Cloudy Corneas Clear,” “Biologists Discover A Protein Link To Wound Healing,” “Stroke Victim’s Own Stem Cells Used In Trial For First Time” and “New Clues To How Stem Cells Form.” In addition to catching up on the latest stem cell news, you’ll also be able to read articles, watch videos, look at images and find books on the subject. Visit www.sciencedaily.com/health_medicine/stem_cells/ to access this content.

With the new allocation of federal stem cell research funding, a number of facilities across the country will be receiving money to research stem cell therapies. For instance, the University of Buffalo will receive $4.9 million for human stem cell research. The University of California at Irvine will receive $27.2 million to build a new stem cell research facility and the University of San Diego will get $2.8 million to improve their current facilities. It may take another 10 years to produce a widely recommended cure, but research has been promising.

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What You Should Know About The Stem Cell Research Controversy

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

stem cell controversy

One of the first things President Barack Obama did upon taking office was lift the controversial ban on stem cell research. The National Institute of Health informs us that human stem cells are very important to scientific research because they have the potential to differentiate into almost any type of cell, tissue or organ in the body. Additionally, stem cell therapies may make it possible for humans to regenerate damaged parts of their own bodies more naturally, without using artificial materials or drugs. In the future, scientists hope to treat cancer, Parkinson’s, heart disease and diabetes with stem cells.

In an embryo that is just three days old, stem cells are found that will later transform into the heart, lungs, skin, tissues, bone marrow, muscle and brain. Advocates of stem cell research believe that there may be a way to generate replacement cells for parts of the body lost through injury, disease or aging. What makes stemcells different than blood, muscle or nerve cells is their innate ability to replicate for months in a laboratory setting. Scientists are hopeful about the potential for long term rejuvenation using these self-renewing human stem cells.

There are two varieties used in modern stem cell research: stem cells embryonic and stem cells adult. Embryonic stem cells are cultivated in a Petri dish from in vitro fertilization. This type of stem cell is extremely versatile and can differentiate into more than 220 cell types in the body for more than a year in a research setting, which is promising for many future medical treatments. Scientists are still trying to understand why embryonic cells are so much more flexible than adult stem cells. Some Americans feel it is inherently wrong to tamper with human cells, by creating, manipulating and destroying fertilized cells that could otherwise continue to grow into human life within a host.

While stem cell research has been full of controversy in America, other nations, notably Iran, have nothing against stem cell research at all. “Policies that may be classified as liberal in the American political system seem to be common sense to Iranian politicians,” explains Hassan Ashktorab of the Howard University Cancer Center in Washington, DC. While George W. Bush banned research on fetal stem cells, Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei embraced the modern science. While human cloning is still condemned in Iranian culture, they believe it is their duty to do their best to prevent illness and protect human life.

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Taking A Look At Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Friday, July 17th, 2009

fetal stem cells

Is the debate over embryonic stem cell research finally over? Now that scientists in the US and Japan have found more effective ways of harvesting adult stem cells from the umbilical cord, there may be no need to obtain fetal stem cells that destroy an embryo in the process. Even so, the pondering of the stem cell controversy begs some interesting questions. Is it worth destroying a life to save a life? When does life even begin? What are stem cells exactly?

When does human life begin? This is the quintessential theological question behind embryonic stem cell research. Devout Catholics and Protestants will tell you, “Human life begins at conception, at the very moment when sperm and egg come together. Development from there on out should be left up to God and God only.” They argue the problem is that embryos are killed in the process of harvesting stem cells, therefore aborting the developing embryo. In a speech on August 9, 2001, former President George W. Bush explained, “While we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means.” Pope Benedict XVI went so far as to say human stem cell research was “not only devoid of the light of God but also devoid of humanity.”

Scientists working with fetal stem cells argue they’re using primitive “blastocyte” cells fertilized in Petri dishes that are typically 3-5 days old and have not formed nerves or brain cells yet. The general consensus is that fetuses are not capable of feeling and processing pain until the third trimester, or 28 weeks, when the thalamocortical connections are developed. To others, it’s a matter of practicality. James Thomson, the first scientist to do embryonic stem cell research, told MSNBC’s Alan Boyle in June 2005, “The bottom line is that there are 400,000 frozen embryos in the United States, and a large percentage of those are going to be thrown out. Regardless of what you think the moral status of those embryos is, it makes sense to me that it’s a better moral decision to use them to help people than just to throw them out. It’s a very complex issue, but to me it boils down to that one thing.”

Embryonic stem cell research still has many hurdles to overcome before expensive, widespread human testing is funded. Scientists are still trying to understand what conditions cause a stem cell to differentiate into a particular tissue or organ, for instance. They’re also not sure what causes the proliferation and what stops the proliferation (to prevent uncontrolled cancerous growth). Stem cells research carries much promise but it will take a lot of funding and patience.

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Taking A Look At Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

stem cell research funding

Despite the stem cell controversy offered up by pro-lifers, a rosy portrait of embryonic stem cell research is often painted. We’re told that adult mouse cells can turn back to their more flexible, embryonic state again. We’re told that human trials will begin for treating spinal cord injuries. We’re told that the next five years will likely see a viable treatment for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart disease. President Obama is so confident in the science that he agreed to reverse Bush’s decision and allocate funds to the controversial science. Yet many Californians who voted to fund stem cell research in their state five years ago are wondering where the results are.

“The likelihood of something going wrong is pretty high,” warns Arnold Kriegstein of UC San Francisco’s Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research. “Something like tumors are probably going to happen. This is an area where the risks are great. The public has to be prepared.” He points to a recent story of a teenage boy who traveled from Israel to Russia to undergo stem cell therapies only to find he had little more than a brand new brain tumor four years later. Embryonic stem cell research is far from perfect, Kriegstein admits, and it could take many years before taxpayers see a return on their $3 billion investment.

In some ways, the qualities that make the embryonic stem cell great also make it formidable. Their ability to differentiate into almost any type of tissue, organ or cell has long captivated researchers. However, occasionally stem cells embryonic mutations occur, which is a hideous spectacle no scientist wishes to stumble upon. A teratoma is a hideous-looking tumor that looks like an amalgamation of various organs, tiny hands, heads, teeth, hair and cancer. While many animal trials show promise, the stem cells cure should not be rushed before scientists reach a better understanding of how these specialized cells actually work.

Even though there are numerous roadblocks to widespread embryonic stem cell research, there have been some causes to celebrate. For the first time, U.S. researchers at the University of California at San Francisco have transformed adult mouse stem cells back into their “pluripotent” embryonic state, meaning that they can morph into any cell type. Scientists say this will significantly decrease the cancer risk and will also negate the need for harvesting fetal stem cells.

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