Stem cell therapy

[grannywils]

I have not weighed in on the debate but I will now.

 

I am the fourth of seven children. My brother, the third, was born with cerebral palsy, quaintly referred to as "brain damage" at the time. He died at age 15 when I was 13. He was never able to walk, talk, or feed himself. He was trapped in a body that would not work. But he had the most beautiful and gentle dark brown eyes. When I was a baby he was two and because of his condition we were "babies together" my mom had an amazing picture of us cuddling together. I loved him so much, and I have many very painful memories over what became of him and of my family because of how difficult the situation was for my parents, a hardworking farm couple. My father became convinced it was a source of shame and retribution. By the time I was 4 my brother was placed in a home where we had to travel to see him. Whenever I saw him after that I could see him, "see" me, he knew me, there was an intelligent person in there, neglected and written off by the medical limitations of the time. He died just over a year after my mother. This is a very deep, enduring, painful wound for me.

 

My personal feeling is this, if I could have tried stem cell therapy to give my brother even a small chance at a better life that he deserved, I would have. I would have done anything.

 

Not only have I not posted in this thread, I have not even read most of the posts; as I do not believe that this is a subject worthy of debate. Stem cell therapy and research have been proven to be of such value that those who deny it's worth are in my personal opinion ignorant of reality (this was the most polite way I could come up with to portry my true feelings). Thank you for your wonderful post which proves my reason for feeling this way. I am sorry for your loss and truly wish that the research had been available at the time to help your brother.

[Sepherose]

@Lukertin:

 

Here are some interesting resources to read up on, you are wrong, they have proven that stem cells can assist with recovery and repair of damage to the body.

 

First, a simple article from National Geographic.

Next, National Institutes of Heath page about the potential of stem cells.

An interview with Dr. Doug Melton, co-directer of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Multiple research overviews from HSCI

A page detailing some of the accomplishments of HSCI.

Experimental and theoretical applications. I believe I asked first and foremost for an article from a medical journal. You know, results where doctors and researchers do experiments on live people in an attempt to save their lives, rather than the results of a bunch of grad students and post-docs dicking around in a lab.

 

Edit: I did further research, and apparently the Cedric Seldon mentioned in the NatGeo article is today alive and kicking and doing well. My points regarding reliability, reproducibility, and long-term feasibility of such treatments still stand. One success is not a 'proof'. Maybe in other disciplines but people are very different from DNA to DNA.

 

The long term effects of stem cell treatments aren't even properly understood--your Cedric Seldon was injected with stem cells from a female, so now his blood will be female while the rest of his body has Y chromosomes. Pretty cool right? I can't imagine anything weird happening out of that.

 

I just gave you multiple links to an actual research group, not a bunch of grad students and post-docs "dicking around", on those pages you will find, with only a couple of clicks, research papers and results. If that isn't enough for you, you are in denial.

[Keanumoreira]

"He made an instrument to know, If the moon shined at full or no" -Samuel Butler

 

“Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.”

– John Dewey

 

 

If we don't study the potential that Stem Cell Research has to offer, then where do we as a species end up? Mother Necessity is the basic foundation of new research and technologies, a little something I learned in my History Honors' class shortly before my Christmas Break began. Now look, I am well aware of the problems facing this risky field of Medical Science. Tumors, immune response, even mutations from damage inflicted on the DNA. However, look at the couple willing to risk it all to improve the living quality of their foster son. Yes, serious ramifications may lie in store, but they considered these risks and are willing to take them. This research is vital in our understanding of the human machine. Stem cells create the FIRST cells in our bodies during the time of fertilization. That includes brain cells, the rarest and the hardest of the bodies cells to stimulate or recreate. Neurogenesis can only be achieved by mental exercise and by a few forms of physical exercise. However, if damaged, they stay damaged. Unlike our blood cells, brain cells cannot be recreated. When they're gone, they're gone for good. That is why SCR is so fundamental in curing diseases or disorders that inflict severe brain damage. Every great discovery, creation, change, or revolution happened because there were risks involved. The answers we seek to save more children from a fate such as this lies in each and everyone of us. Sacrifice is part of progress, and if this couple is willing to risk this boy for a better future, for both him and those that will follow; then what judge has the nerve to slam that hammer in defiance?

Edited December 31, 2011 by Keanumoreira

[dazzerfong]

so now his blood will be female while the rest of his body has Y chromosomes

 

Err......what happens IF I get a blood transfusion from someone of an opposite sex then?

[myrmaad]

so now his blood will be female while the rest of his body has Y chromosomes

 

Err......what happens IF I get a blood transfusion from someone of an opposite sex then?

 

Hopefully, you'll live.

 

:rolleyes:

[dazzerfong]

Dammit, I should just suck my own blood out then, got quite a bit of blood donations after an appendix operation...

 

Lukertin, if you can't even understand what's going on, why are you still debating?

[Sepherose]

-snip-

 

I just gave you multiple links to an actual research group, not a bunch of grad students and post-docs "dicking around", on those pages you will find, with only a couple of clicks, research papers and results. If that isn't enough for you, you are in denial.

 

 

Here is another link for you Lukertin.

 

It gives absolute proof that stem cells can be used to definitively help humans.

[dazzerfong]

@ Sepherose:

 

I think we can conclude now that stem cell invariably helps people.

[lukertin]

I have never once stated that I doubt the ability of stem cells to help humans.

 

I stated that RIGHT NOW with our UNDERSTANDING AND MEDICAL CAPABILITY we do not have CONSISTENT, RELIABLE methods which are known and accepted by the medical community to be SAFE AND EFFECTIVE towards TREATING THE VARIOUS DISEASES AND CONDITIONS which could benefit from them.

 

Jesus f***ing Christ

 

so now his blood will be female while the rest of his body has Y chromosomes

 

Err......what happens IF I get a blood transfusion from someone of an opposite sex then?

You don't understand biology at all' date=' do you?

 

You are welcome to your opinion, how you express it is an option, yelling and profanity, get your ticket punched. As these are the actions of a troll.

 

Buddah

[Sepherose]

-snip-

Experimental and theoretical applications. I believe I asked first and foremost for an article from a medical journal. You know, results where doctors and researchers do experiments on live people in an attempt to save their lives, rather than the results of a bunch of grad students and post-docs dicking around in a lab.

-snip

 

I believe I have given you links that fit most of those criteria, and upped the ante with links from an actual research group rather than just a medical journal. From the horses mouth and all that.

 

-snip-

So where's the medical journal articles describing the use of embryonic stem cells as a panacea? Where are they? It isn't just a theory, so where is the science confirming your easily confirmable THEORY?

-snip-

 

Here are some links for you.

 

-snip

I stated that RIGHT NOW with our UNDERSTANDING AND MEDICAL CAPABILITY we do not have CONSISTENT, RELIABLE methods which are known and accepted by the medical community to be SAFE AND EFFECTIVE towards TREATING THE VARIOUS DISEASES AND CONDITIONS which could benefit from them.

-snip

 

See the above.

 

As for this...

 

I have never once stated that I doubt the ability of stem cells to help humans.

-snip-

 

You said:

Embryonic stem cells can generate any other cell type. That can be extremely helpful in treating nearly any serious disease.

Theoretically. There were no studies supporting its utility 5-10 years ago when the argument first arose, so unless something has changed recently...

 

One of the above linked Medical Journal articles are from more than ten years ago... more like 14 years ago.

 

and

 

-snip-

I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure there's still no science supporting the theory that fetal stem cells are capable of doing anything.

 

Which is very strongly indicating that you do in fact doubt the ability of stem cells in the area of medicine. Would you mind clarifying why you have said things that lie on both side of the fence?