LifeEthics
medical technology
>Non-destructive embryonic stem cells
>It’s all over the web (here and here, at the “news@nature.com” site,for instance), three separate labs have been able to reproduce embryonic stem cells by “reprogramming” adult cells from skin. Much of the commentary is like Art Caplan’s comments quoted in the first (Blog.bioethics.net) link above. Paraphrased, the bulk of the “mainstream remarks include, “It’s … Continue reading
>Vaginal approach to gallbladder removal
>Or removal of the appendix through the mouth? I finished my residency training in 1993, and was privileged to witness some of the first “laparoscopic” gallbladder removals on one of my rotations with some private surgeons. After 5 years or so of observing and assisting with the old technique that required a 7 to 10 … Continue reading
Leigh’s Disease (Long post on end of life and baby Emilio Gonzales)
(EDIT, May 31, 2014: It has come to my attention that this post is referenced in a book on bioethics. If you have come from that book, remember that (although I’ve done my best to be accurate) this is a blog, not a peer-reviewed scientific article. Be sure and read all the comments at the … Continue reading
Umbilical Cord vs. Embryonic Stem Cells
The Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (PNAS) has published the article that was the subject of this blog last week, and which claims that researchers at the University of Texas at Houston have produced the “first transplantable source of lung epithelial cells.” There is no evidence that these cells are “transplantable,” and they … Continue reading
$17.9 Million plus for Texas: ethical stem cells
The UT Austin Daily Texan has the only report that I can find in the news about Wednesday’s announcement that the University of Texas Health Center in Houston is the recipient of $17.9 million for stem cell research on treatments for heart disease. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute granted $17.9 million for the … Continue reading
>Texas, Adult Stem Cells, Multiple Sclerosis
>Opexa is a division of Pharmafronteirs (or it’s the other way around, I’m not sure) which is based at the Woodlands, near Houston, Texas. The company specializes in cell therapies, based on adult stem cells and the controlled manipulation and replication of adult cells. Multiple sclerosis (MS)is a disease that causes the loss of the … Continue reading
>WARF relaxes embryonic stem cell fees and rules
>The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation holds the patents on virtually all embryonic stem cells that have ever been produced, that ever will be produced, and of all the technological and medical results of that research. At least according to them, and at least in the United States. And they’ve been sued by other researchers because … Continue reading
>Nanofiber Scaffolds for Neural Stem Cells (and some truth)
>Johns Hopkins researchers report that they have developed “nanofibers” impregnated with special proteins which allow them to grow neural stem cells from embryonic stem cells without “requiring high concentrations of growth factors.” One of the researchers, Neuroscientist Hongjun Song, comments on the immediate results of the research, which will not include actual patient therapy: “Eventually, … Continue reading
>Brain wave biometric key
>New Scientist Tech reports on news of a possible personal identification device in the works: This novel biometric system should be difficult to forge, making it suitable for high-security applications, claim the researchers behind it. The system was developed by Dimitrios Tzovaras and colleagues at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, in Greece. It … Continue reading
We need sharing, not eggs or embryos!
From WebMD: “We don’t need any eggs or embryos at all,” says Shinya Yamanaka, MD, a professor at the Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences in Kyoto, Japan. Yamanaka describes his lab’s early successes in mice creating stem cells from adult cells. His research involves isolating two dozen chemicals that give embryonic stem cells their ability … Continue reading
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