Neural stem cells grown from one of the federally approved embryonic stem cell lines proved to be inferior to neural stem cells derived from fetal tissue donated for research, a UCLA study has found.
Researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at UCLA coaxed cells from the federally approved line to differentiate into neural stem cells, a process that might one day be used to grow replacement cells to treat such debilitating diseases as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. However, the neural stem cells expressed a lower level of a metabolic gene called CPT 1A, a condition that causes hypoglycemia in humans.
They’re…planning to repeat their work on other federally approved stem cell lines to see if the abnormality was an aberration found only in this one stem cell line. Fan and other UCLA researchers said the abnormality found in the federally approved stem cell line reinforces the need for other embryonic stem cells lines on which to conduct research.
No, I don’t expect to change the mindset of folks who can’t get their “morality” around science working to save life and cure ills — while approving every act of war requested by politicians. There’s probably something in there about leaders and followers — but, have a mellow Sunday.
I don’t know why we don’t cup up the the terminally ill and prisoners, as China does. Why can’t people get their morality around science working to save life and cure ills.
If someone could point to a single cure that has resulted from embryonic stem cell research, then perhaps I wouldn’t perceive these rants as just so much hot air.
I just can not stand it when people say that we shouldn’t do embryonic stem cell research because there is no proof that we can cure diseases. It drives me absolutely insane. How can you prove that it will cure diseases if you are prevented from doing the research to begin with? That just makes no sense. The research should be done, and then we can decide whether it works or not.
Why don’t we use death row inmates to test new drugs, it could save lives.
To all you self-righteous moralists out there.
Some facts you can feel free to ignore.
1) Stem cell lines come from invitro fertilized eggs discarded for usually because they were frozen too long & are no longer viable as possible fetuses.
Now ask who usually buys such a procedure? Its not covered by most insurance (at least not mine). Rich couples & those who want a baby enough to borrow or save the money. In the old procedure five eggs were fertilized in order to assure one viable fetus (the current procedure requires three I believe). Now if you don’t use the rest of your eggs – guess what happens? They get “disposed” of. So instead of providing some benefit from the discarded fetuses, its obviously more moral to put ’em in the garbage bin, right?
Where was all your morality and outrage when our troops (mostly reserves) when into Iraq without armored HumVees and good body armor just because the DOD through it would be too expensive to equipment them? Oh is forgot – they didn’t need them because its been 1000 odd days since “Mission Accomplished”.
What a moral president! Jesus would be so proud!
I think weve covered this before. Theses stem cells come from discarded embryos, and cloning. You say it is rich couples. If this research expands, do you really think the source will be rich women?
As for a flawed argument, keep in mind r=that this researcj is being done. The issue is over federal funding, and even some of that is being done. Nevertheless, the successful treatments have come from adult stem cells. What I’m wondering is how come the media never talks about those? Why do they have an agenda of only promoting embryo stem cells?
I think that it makes more than two cells replicating to make an human being. And I’m not talkin of soul or such. I mean, it takes nine months to produce a viable “outdoor” being, and years of caring and nurture and also 20 + years of official education to produce a modern day functioning, voting citizen. And thet you pick it up put it in a khaki enclosure and send him in a date with a landmine or a rocket. Hmmmmm. That poses no ethic issues with you. And something that is barely life, not even human by any standards, and unviable to grow on a womb, causes you so much ethic issues!
Major rethink of morality here…
#3
> If someone could point to a single cure that has resulted
> from embryonic stem cell research,
Suppose we said the same thing when man started studying virii and bacteria under a microsope. “No need to continue, after all, what good has come from this research.” There is no way to know what good will come from the research without actually doing the research.
#4
> …the creation of a being just to save yourself….
>…terminating a life for research is not [OK]…
At what point is a being or a life created and then destroyed? An embryo is not a being; it is a potential being much like a sperm. Thousands of embryos are destroyed every year and no one seems to bat an eye at those. Why are these different?
#8
> You say it is rich couples. If this research
> expands, do you really think the source will be rich women?
Why don’t we first start with the research and then handle that situation if it comes to pass since it is not at all clear that this is where that road will lead. We can think of all kinds of doomsday scenarios with almost any scientific research. We will not know where the road will lead us until find the answers.
What gets my shorts in a bunch is this…….embryonic stem cell research is going on, right now, as we speak, all over the world, and …yes Virginia….even here in the U.S…….the Federal ban is ONLY for Federally funded research……the only ESC allowed under the federal rules are those lines already being used when the ban went into place…….it had no effect what so ever on privately funded or all the thousands of researchers outside this country who are working on this.
If there was even a glimmer of a real treatment coming from this ESC research, Glaxxo and Phiser and all the rest would be killing their Mothers to bring it to market. At this point in time, nothing….nada, zilch, zero….thats what has been discovered.
On the other hand….Adult stem cell has had results….it may be proven that adult stem cell won’t be enough to cure all the things they hope stem cells will cure…..but for now ASC are the only ones producing real treatments.
well if the UCLA says so…
The problem with your logic Joshua (#12) is that funding the research is incredibly expensive and there is pressure to avoid it from the government beyond just funding. Embryonic stem cell research is being funded in Britain and it is why most of our researchers are relocating there. The real issue is that the government is ok with funding all kinds of research but suddenly stops at this? It is religious nonsense that is holding back scientific advancement purely on the grounds on ignorance.
>embryo is not a being; it is a potential being much like a sperm.
Wow that’s real science talking.
Where is the indignation at all the embryos wasted by fertility clinics performing in-vitro fertilization?
#15
Perhaps you did not understand my post. Just as a sperm requires an egg and visa versa, an embryo cannot become a human without substantial help starting with a host. Even with all of that, there is still no guarantee that said embryo is viable. Why are people crying about the use of embryos for research and not sperm or eggs? The later two both have the potential to create a being (by first creating an embryo of course). If an embryo is a life then certainly the elements that go into making that embryo must also represent life. The analogy, which was not intended to be scientific, is still valid. An embryo is a potential human just as its constituent parts are potential humans. A “potential” being is not at all the same thing as an actual human. Life does not being a fertilization.
Researching using any type of stem cells is not illegal, it’s just that ‘non-approved types’ don’t get corporate welfare. It can better be argued that no type should recieve corporate welfare; the place I work for has to produce real results, so should they.
There is some objection to in-vitro fertilization. By your logic, if embryos are used for reasearch, then I can propose the terminally ill, as I did before, and say where’s all the indignation when research is done on embryos that are going to be discarded anyway.