Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. Michael Sandel, Ph.D. )philosopher)in the April 4, 2007 Boston Globe WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Stem cells will be at the top of the agenda for the U.S. Senate when … Continue reading
Ian Wilmut says that if he had “to bet money,” he’d bet on reprogramming adult – the patient’s own stem cells. Joining the cloning experts in the race are scientists who are looking for new ways to “reprogram” DNA, or make it young again without fusing it into an egg. They think it may be … Continue reading
> “There are people who are alive now who otherwise would’ve been dead if there hadn’t been a mother who donated their cord blood.” If you know me and my granddaughter Roni, you know that my answer is “Godsend.” ABC News has a video news report from Good Morning America on the current status of … Continue reading
“All politics is local,” is a quote attributed to – and the title of a book co-authored by – the late, former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. The lesson seems to be one that Texas State Representative Juan Garcia, D-Corpus Christi, learned well. It doesn’t hurt to stack the deck in your favor, either. … Continue reading
Today, the Texas House State Affairs Committee heard from a young man who was born with sickle cell disease. Young Joseph, Jr. told the Representatives that his baby brother saved his life. And now, he doesn’t have to take medicine or get shots any more. (The oblivious hero slept through the hearing.) And of course, … Continue reading
>Researchers at The University of Michigan have proven that mesenchymal stem cells are present in the lungs, and that these cells have transplanted along with the rest of the lung. In the past, it was believed that the mesenchymal stem cells ( a versatile group of stem cells – see the information in the quote … Continue reading
>It’s time to write an updated review on the status of stem cell therapy. For one thing, I wrote about the lung cells from two different labs and sources, yesterday. Next, Richard Doerflinger has written his “75 new reasons” to support non embryonic stem cell therapy over on “DO NO HARM.” And then, there’s the … Continue reading
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
Every living cell in our bodies has the whole set of genes that it took to grow us from a one cell embryo to the beautiful blogging people that we are now. It’s just that the whole set is never working at any one time. Our growth, development, abilities and repair depend on whether a … Continue reading
Georgia Senator Shafer has introduced a bill that would make that State the first to dedicate funds to a public bank for both cord blood and placental and umbilical cord tissues. This follows a move across the country to begin public, rather than private, cord blood banking for therapy and research. MD Anderson (MDA), our … Continue reading