Article
This article discusses a new use of stem cells being tested in Islamabad. I'm pretty sure all of you know what an organ transplant is, but some of you might not know that if the organ doesn't come from a close family member (and sometimes even if it is), it can cause serious complications, most notably the recipient of an organ's immune system recognizing the organ as an "attacker" and attacking the transplanted organ. There are special drugs that recipients of those transplants must take that repress their immune systems, but they have serious complications and would have to be taken every day for the rest of their lives. A new strategy to combat that without medication that is being tested is a few days after the transplant, injecting a small amount of stem cells into the area, in hopes to generate a modified immune system that won't reject the organs. So far, the results have been phenomenal. From the article, "Although the patients started off with the same anti-rejection drugs,
the aim was to reduce these slowly, hopefully withdrawing them
completely over time. Five out of the eight patients involved in the
trial managed to do this within a year." 47-year-old Lindsay Porter, from Chicago, a recipient of the treatment said: "I hear about the challenges recipients have to face with their medications and it is significant. It’s almost surreal when I think about it because I feel so healthy and normal." If this proves to have long-term effectiveness, it could be a huge breakthrough in medical science.
Showing posts with label stem cells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stem cells. Show all posts
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Topic Combos
I wasn't in the mood to write a proper blog post today, so I decided to see what idiocy/brilliance I could dig up if I cross-referenced 2 or more topics via Google.
Stem Cells + Vaccines Cause Autism
- Nice layout. >:(
- Correlation = causation, evidently.
- Surprisingly nothing related to science. Someone needs to teach those yoo-hoos in pop culture what a multiverse actually is.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Ridiculous argument against stem cells
So I was lurking around on the internet when I had found a link to this blog. I couldn't believe what I had read at first because of how ridiculous this post was. Basically what it says is German scientist have found a cure for aids using stem cells. This obviously isn't true or there would've been more news about it, but anyways it says that the scientists are trying to hurt america by saving people (focusing on they gay community) from this deadly disease. Because of course saving thousands of people using stem cells is just pure evil. Then they take the crazy a bit further by saying,
Germany, as we all know, is where the Naziscame from, so it should come as no surprise that they have teamed up with something so librul as stem cells to figure out something so evil as curing a disease that has killed so manySo because Germany is where Nazis came from, they're evil? seriously, this is what made my jaw drop, that's like saying all Americans are evil because of our bloodied past. Yes, what we did was wrong, but that is in the past. And because Aids had first appeared in the gay community makes it okay for us to allow the deaths of so many people. I just though all the people of this blog would find this article interesting, if not absolutely absurd.peoplegay people.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Skin Gun
Stem cell research is arguably one of the most controversial yet important fields of study in modern medicine. Stems cells are a type of cell found in the body that can reproduce indefinitely and can develop into any type of human tissue. The effective use of stem cells could mean the treatment of some of the world worst diseases and disabilities. The problem is, traditionally the most prominent way of harvesting healthy human stem cells is extracting them for aborted embryos or growing them in a petri dish. This method has long been objected due to the nature of aborting a cluster of cells from forming to their full potential, a human being. Fortunately harvesting stem cell though embryos is only one of the many current methods for harvesting stem cells. Due to the moral objection to some forms of stem cell harvesting and the misinformation of society, stem cell research has been wrongly deemed “immoral” and “dangerous.” Subsequently, the government has suppressed promising research and powerful treatments that use stem cells, even though it is now possible to extract stem cells from the human body without the involvement embryonic stem cells.
Dr. Jörg C. Gerlach at the McCowan Inst. for Regenerative Medicine is on the cutting edge of such “controversial” research. He has devised a method for quickly regenerating vast amounts of damaged human skin extremely quickly and effectively without the use of invasive surgery. It’s called the Skin Gun. The Skin gun is essentially a more advanced version of an artists airbrush. It work by spraying a high pressure a solution of stem cells harvested through the healing skin of the patient own skin that has been damaged by burns or other such ailments. Severely burnt or damaged skin can be extremely fatal due to its slow healing process and its’ susceptibility to major infection. Using traditional methods healing and replacing damaged skin can take months and is very prone to failure due to the condition of the patient and how fragile newly regenerated skin can be. Dr. Gerlach’s method however, takes under an hour and a half for the procedure and can completely heal massive amount of damaged skin in the matter of days. The problem is, due to the suppression of stem cell research and the reluctance to allow the employment of stem cell treatment in medical facilities, Dr. Gerlach’s skin gun has only been used on a twelve patients and is being held from further testing that would allow it to be used widespread in medical facilities across the globe.
Source Article:
Monday, January 23, 2012
Just to the Left of Philosophical
It's interesting that after about an hour of reading about stem-cell research, I found myself learning more about human consciousness than I did about the stem cells themselves. I mean, sure, I can list the facts: stem cells are very versatile cells that can shape shift into any kind of cell one needs them to be - they can be found in bone marrow (and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of the adult body), but it's also capable to derive stem cells from blastocysts, or undifferentiated embryos. The embryos are little clusters of cells that have not yet decided their fate - tiny little clusters full of infinite possibility.
And I think that's the problem. All this possibility, and nobody can decide how best it should be used. It's impossible to universally determine when life becomes life - some would say it's the moment of conception, and some would say that the potential within the undifferentiated embryonic cells is just as useful rebuilding someone's lungs, liver, heart.
I read somewhere that life befits life befits life. It's the idea that life creates and sustains life. The stem cells in embryos might create a human being, but they might also heal those human beings that we already have. Life will always work to sustain life.
And all of these websites asked me, the reader, to take God into my heart - to reject the idea of giving away unborn children in the name of science. And I can't help but ask myself - these people call themselves pro-life. Shouldn't they be in the business not just of creating, but sustaining what they've worked so hard to protect?
And I think that's the problem. All this possibility, and nobody can decide how best it should be used. It's impossible to universally determine when life becomes life - some would say it's the moment of conception, and some would say that the potential within the undifferentiated embryonic cells is just as useful rebuilding someone's lungs, liver, heart.
I read somewhere that life befits life befits life. It's the idea that life creates and sustains life. The stem cells in embryos might create a human being, but they might also heal those human beings that we already have. Life will always work to sustain life.
And all of these websites asked me, the reader, to take God into my heart - to reject the idea of giving away unborn children in the name of science. And I can't help but ask myself - these people call themselves pro-life. Shouldn't they be in the business not just of creating, but sustaining what they've worked so hard to protect?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Stem Cell Research is Not Over Yet
Aside from the obvious ethical argument regarding the controversy in stem cell research, there are other flaws as well. For those frustrated by a consistent battle between life and death for unborn children, or who simply believe that the death of an embryo is not wrong or immoral, it does not mean that stem cell research is still acceptable. It can not be denied that stem cells do heal many medical conditions. YouTube will provide plenty of videos in support of stem cell therapy and its apparent benefits such as this young woman who is regaining the feeling in her legs due to stem cell therapy after a bad accident falling off of a cliff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvaZRuaHb6A
However it has also been proven that the same embryonic stem cells that can be beneficial to medical conditions can also create other serious medical conditions in the body. Although new studies have shown that stem cells can be controlled to kill cancerous cells, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPpX1wyEC4g, there are many reports of embryonic stem cells forming cancerous cells and tumors in stem cell therapy patients. This is due to the nature of stem cells as explained in this article as being involved with and creating "Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects..." http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/ethics.asp
TV doctor, Dr. Oz even states that this is a problem with stem cells currently. However he also claims that in the near future such a problem will no longer exist. But why risk more cancer patients now? Ending one life might be an argument enough for some people, but why ruin another after ending one? It is worth the wait for stem cell research to advance to a state where stem cell therapy is a solid and efficient practice with minimal and non-severe side effects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=9NqsO3Kf-Xw&NR=1
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Stem Cells: An Unripe Harvest
The source article for this post was published by the Institute of Creation Research
I doubt that there are many (if any) among my readers that would agree with the following statement: Ending human life is NOT wrong. This is no unreasonable assumption; the human animal is wired to look after its own, and safeguard others of its species. This instinct is (in most) intensified when applied to the protection of children at any age, from infancy to the cusp of adulthood. Why, then, does it seem to be entirely absent from the debate about Stem Cell Research? It is a well known fact that Stem Cells come from the embryo of a specific species: MAN. This “Miracle Cure” is harvested from unborn human beings, with little regard to the sanctity God gave to all of His creatures. There is no excuse to end a human life, which is what scientists want to do when they research Stem Cell treatments, although they emphasize the “breakthrough” they would make if they could; however, embryonic Stem Cells have “no real prospect of therapeutic uses of [Geron’s] embryonic stem cells.” (Professor Robert George, Princton University). What they refuse to admit is that there are alternatives to using Stem Cells- there are methods of reverting adult cells to serve the same function that embryonic cells do, and it doesn’t involve murdering a child. That’s not bad, right? If we let our government approve funding for Stem Cell research, there will be blood on all of our hands- the blood of the children that could and WOULD have been born if it weren’t for the blind scientific search for what some would call progress.
-Ian Garvin
I doubt that there are many (if any) among my readers that would agree with the following statement: Ending human life is NOT wrong. This is no unreasonable assumption; the human animal is wired to look after its own, and safeguard others of its species. This instinct is (in most) intensified when applied to the protection of children at any age, from infancy to the cusp of adulthood. Why, then, does it seem to be entirely absent from the debate about Stem Cell Research? It is a well known fact that Stem Cells come from the embryo of a specific species: MAN. This “Miracle Cure” is harvested from unborn human beings, with little regard to the sanctity God gave to all of His creatures. There is no excuse to end a human life, which is what scientists want to do when they research Stem Cell treatments, although they emphasize the “breakthrough” they would make if they could; however, embryonic Stem Cells have “no real prospect of therapeutic uses of [Geron’s] embryonic stem cells.” (Professor Robert George, Princton University). What they refuse to admit is that there are alternatives to using Stem Cells- there are methods of reverting adult cells to serve the same function that embryonic cells do, and it doesn’t involve murdering a child. That’s not bad, right? If we let our government approve funding for Stem Cell research, there will be blood on all of our hands- the blood of the children that could and WOULD have been born if it weren’t for the blind scientific search for what some would call progress.
-Ian Garvin
Stem Cell reserch?
The other day I was amiably on YouTube watching documentaries about Purple Cows and the Minnesota Gophers many legendary Hockey teams. I paused my endeavors to go grab a snack, I had encountered a difficulty choosing between a toast butter side down or toast butter side up. In the end I ate both. When I returned to my computer a miracle had occurred. Maybe it was a message from god, or possibly the cat had walked across the keybord, I will never know. Well anyhow my computer had somehow sent me to a sight talking about Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Because I am an avid fan of all things scientific I decided to watch.
The video was titled Embryonic Stem Cells Are Bad! In the video a narrator was trying to convince the viewers the Embryonic Stem Cell research is bad. He started by making a very strong appeal to emotions. He began by explaining the Science behind Embryonic Stem Cells. Scientist can take stem cells from an embryo and grow them into just about any kind of cell imaginable. They can then use them to try and cure many diseases, such as Parkinson‘s. The narrator begins by arguing that Stem Cell research is bad because it kills the embryo. That is a very valid point, minus one important factor, Science is not sure on weather or not to classify Embryos as alive. This problem can also effect the authors next claim that Stem Cell research is illegal because it violates the Nuremberg Code witch says that experimental scientific research requires the consent of all effected. Once again that depends on weather or not you consider an embryo alive. The narrator than goes on to explore the field that Stem Cells can cause cancer, he mentioned a study in which rats received cancer 20% of the time that they were injected with stem cells. That is a good point but it is still not a reason to halt stem cell research entirely. I think that we can agree that stem cells are potentially useful. SO THEN WHAT DOESE THE NARRATOR SUGGEST WE SHOULD DO INSTEAD!?!?!?! The answer is well reasoned AND LEAVES ME SATISFIED!! He suggests we use adult stem cells, which work much the same way but are much less controversial because they do not destroy embryos.
That point is well reasoned. Weather or not you believe that Embryos are alive no longer matters. By using alternatives we can leave the controversy by the wayside and progress to our lunches.
By: Anti Väinämöinen
The video was titled Embryonic Stem Cells Are Bad! In the video a narrator was trying to convince the viewers the Embryonic Stem Cell research is bad. He started by making a very strong appeal to emotions. He began by explaining the Science behind Embryonic Stem Cells. Scientist can take stem cells from an embryo and grow them into just about any kind of cell imaginable. They can then use them to try and cure many diseases, such as Parkinson‘s. The narrator begins by arguing that Stem Cell research is bad because it kills the embryo. That is a very valid point, minus one important factor, Science is not sure on weather or not to classify Embryos as alive. This problem can also effect the authors next claim that Stem Cell research is illegal because it violates the Nuremberg Code witch says that experimental scientific research requires the consent of all effected. Once again that depends on weather or not you consider an embryo alive. The narrator than goes on to explore the field that Stem Cells can cause cancer, he mentioned a study in which rats received cancer 20% of the time that they were injected with stem cells. That is a good point but it is still not a reason to halt stem cell research entirely. I think that we can agree that stem cells are potentially useful. SO THEN WHAT DOESE THE NARRATOR SUGGEST WE SHOULD DO INSTEAD!?!?!?! The answer is well reasoned AND LEAVES ME SATISFIED!! He suggests we use adult stem cells, which work much the same way but are much less controversial because they do not destroy embryos.
That point is well reasoned. Weather or not you believe that Embryos are alive no longer matters. By using alternatives we can leave the controversy by the wayside and progress to our lunches.
By: Anti Väinämöinen
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