Study: Stem Cells Reverse Paralysis in Rats

Study: Stem Cells Reverse Paralysis in Rats

news.yahoo.com

Transplanted adult stem cells have been found to reverse paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries in lab rats, a new study finds.
The study, headed up by Miodrag Stojkovic, deputy director and head of the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory at Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe in Spain, involved transplanting so-called progenitor stem cells from the lining of rats' spinal cords into rodents with serious spinal cord injuries.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I am starting to think that this stem cell debate is unfounded. For every reason you can assert that it is an unsavory practice, I could probably retort with double reasons in favor.

Would you deny a soldier fighting for your freedom who was paralyzed in action that chance to redeem his physical features?

I realize it is touchy, but it seems it is a gift from GOD, no?

The researchers say the new rat results "open a new window on spinal cord regenerative strategies."

I know there are different forms of stem cell, and the major one being combatted is the type of cell that has not yet chosen a direction of choice (brain tissue, liver, heart, etc). Because in the early forms, it can be guided in any direction.

I say I'm all for them all.

AAC

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Im all for it too, it can do so much for us in the future.

I know the big fuss is about the aborted fetuses, but you know what, Abortions are going to happen, even if it was illegal. Girls have been getting punched in the stomach, using coat hangers, and taking drugs for decades to avoid giving birth. I think one positive thing you can get from such a horrible thing is stem cell research.

With studies like this I hope we will soon be reading "Stem cells reverse paralyses in humans."

Originally posted by xstealth
I think one positive thing you can get from such a horrible thing is stem cell research.

Exactly. We need negatives to get our positives. It's duality, and it is inevitable in our universe.

Nothing is all good. Besides, the sweet wouldn't be sweet without the bitter.

AAC

Pretty amazing stuff.

Now, there will be more research with stem cells carried out.

I think that there will be some great advances in the near future.

You don't need an aborted fetus for stem cells anymore. They've found ways to revert old cells in your body back to their stem-form. There is absolutely no argument against the practice anymore.

As Peter Griffin once said, "HOW ARE WE NOT FUNDING THIS?!?!"

reply to post by AnAbsoluteCreation


I could definately see how this could work.

Stem cells are just regrowing the tissue, right? The research on this area is just barely tapped.

reply to post by The dragon is taking over


Stem Cell's in the embryonic stages can become any type of tissue because it hasn't yet directed itself to a purpose.

As long as the embryonic stem cells in culture are grown under certain conditions, they can remain undifferentiated (unspecialized). But if cells are allowed to clump together to form embryoid bodies, they begin to differentiate spontaneously. They can form muscle cells, nerve cells, and many other cell types.

A little history on Stem Cell discovery and research.

AAC


[edit on 29-1-2009 by AnAbsoluteCreation]

reply to post by AnAbsoluteCreation


That is exactly what my daughter said to me when she was doing research in her last year in college with cells.

She said that cells were so amazing that they will take any form.

I can not even begin to describe what this can mean to no only severe spinal cord injuries in adults but also people with severe burns in the face and body can also benefit from tissue growing to match their body.

The benefits are just to good to be truth.

Is time that America starts to catch up with the rest of developing countries that had no problem doing this type of research.

hey i cant wait for stem cells to bring about immortality for humans.

add in time travel to pluck people from the past moments before they die and hell ile make sure any depopulation backfires tremendously.

for every human they killed ile make sure each one is ressurected and 10 copies of them are made to walk the earth.

i want a trillion humans struting round the solar system all with free thinking minds,a billion year life span and the pattern recognition to see anything.
oh and each one with thier own time machine,space craft and anti ai device,

ohhhh what a day that shall be,you reap what you sew!,may the patterns backfire!

NOTE:

The Article Speaks Of ADULT Stem Cells

The fact is "embryonic" stem cells usually result in disaster:

Researchers in China met with a disastrous result. Fetal tissue injected into a patient's brain produced temporary improvement, but within two years the patient developed a brain tumor and died. An autopsy revealed that the fetal cells had taken root, but had then metamorphed into other types of human tissue - hair, skin and bone. These grew into the tumor, which killed the patient.

A devastating result occurred at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In some of the patients, the implanted embryonic cells apparently grew too well, churning out so much of a chemical that controls movement that they writhed and jerked uncontrollably. Dr. Paul E. Greene called the uncontrollable movements developed by some patients as "absolutely devastating." He said, "They chew constantly, their fingers go up and down, their writs flex and distend. It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off. No more fetal transplants. We are absolutely and adamantly convinced that this should be considered for research only."

Diane Irving, Ph.D., a former professor of biology at Georgetown University and former biochemist with the National Cancer Institute, said, "I have argued that adult stem cells are better because they are closer to the stage of differentiation than embryonic or fetal cells - therefore they do not have as long a distance to travel differentiation-wise as the younger cells. Therefore there is far less of a chance for genetic errors to be accumulated in the implanted cells and less side effects for the patient to deal with."

In stark contrast to the failures of embryonic stem cell research, the future looks very promising for treatment with adult stem cells.

This is the best news I have had in the past two years since I've been paralyzed. It says that they are only going to be test it on people who have have been injured less than two weeks to see what kind sensation or movement they can regain. I am so hopeful that this does succeed and that they extend testing to those who have been injured for far longer. I would be the first to be guinea pig.

[edit on 2/1/2009 by bigvig316]