Stemcells help woman walk after 20 years

[jIgG]

"The stem cell transplantation was performed on Oct. 12 this year and in just three weeks she started to walk with the help of a walker,"

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.ph...7-121143-6745r

[Squirt]

Great story isn't it? Poor Christopher Reeves passed without his dream coming true.. but I can't help but to think that his public pleas may have had something to do with the massive push we've seen in spinal injury medicine progress.

Interesting how South Korea is doing this excellent stem cell work and human cloning. It's countries that have balls like theirs that will create a lot of patents for their work and dominate these blossoming areas of science that we in the U.S. are banned from doing.

I would have loved to see this womans face when she stood up for the first time! :high:

[desslock]

Stem cell research is completely legal in the US. It is not banned.

Furthermore, the federal government gives lots of money to stem cell research. The restrictions are only on certain lines of stem cells which are prohibited from federal funding.

Now I happen to disagree with that policy. But is that really draconian? And there is very thoughtful debate on both sides.

I would make the case that it is a "moderate compromise" And I think that I am a moderate more or less at heart.

:-)

Steve

[Squirt]

"Unfortunately Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has been restricted to lines that were already derived as of August 9, 2001 . " "Three years later, only 19 stem cell lines are currently available to researchers.." source

"Researchers and patient groups have been frustrated by those restrictions, saying the 20-plus available lines and $24 million in federal grants so far have not been sufficient" source

I hardly think $24 million into stem cell research is "lots of money" The government probably pays that amount or more for presidential security. The passing of Proposition 71 is promissing for stem cell research, but a lot of other countries are ahead of us now.

"A year after President Bush's decision on stem cell research, scientists say they are being hindered by federal rules governing the use of embryonic stem cells because access to stem cell lines approved for research is limited." source

"Stem cell research is completely legal in the US. It is not banned."

You're right. I was thinking more along the lines of cloned embryonic stem cell research. Using cloned stem cells we can get consistent, scientifically precise, results. Although South Korea used stem cells from an umbilical cord, they are also pioneering research in the areas of cloning.

It's very interesting that just in February South Korea created their first human cloned embryos and extracted their stem cells ( source ) , and here we are 10 months later and they are healing the crippled. I would almost bet that the Koreans used cloned stem cells, but said they used the more politically correct umbilical cells, to avoid pissing off the U.S. who is helping them with North Korea troubles. What do you think?

Our government policies on stem cell research are hindering our development in that very promising area of science. Who wants South Korea, or other foreign governments, holding patents on the techniques to cure paralysis etc.? I don't. My .0002 cents worth.

[desslock]

Well I guess we can debate if $24 million is real money. Okay that's debatable.

And we can debate on the significance of the allowed and disallowed lines. Okay that's debatable.

But what is not debatable is the fact that stem cell research is completely and 100% legal in the United States. Can I say that cigarette smoking is illegal in California?

No --- just in certan situations.

I don't know why the stem cell issue has never really worked me up. I guess in general my attitude is that federal grant money is not allowcated very efficiently in the first place.

Squirt - I am not a fan of that policy either. But I don't think we would like to see, for example, the adult internet business we work in mischaracterized, so I would assume that we would not want to similarly mischaracterize this complex issue.

Steve

okay now I am going to switch from this discussion back to writing a review of Blue Blake's Muscle Man Moving Company Inc.... isn't life interesting...

[Squirt]

Originally posted by desslock
But what is not debatable is the fact that stem cell research is completely and 100% legal in the United States.

Only some types of stem cell research are legal in the U.S. Desslock, and the few that are have limiting restrictions. For example you cannot used cloned embryonic stem cells or stem cells outside the existing 19 lines created before 2001. Two very restricting limitations :high:

[Lee]

Originally posted by Squirt
Only some types of stem cell research are legal in the U.S. Desslock, and the few that are have limiting restrictions. For example you cannot used cloned embryonic stem cells or stem cells outside the existing 19 lines created before 2001. Two very restricting limitations :high:

Only certain types of weapons are legal in the US also, that doesnt mean that a wide sweeping statement can be made on the topic.

Personally, i dont see why if something cant significantly increase someones comfortability for medical reasons that something should be banned.

Hell, it was only recently [on the grand scale of things] that cloning of certain cells was made legal and there are already hundreds of medical possibilities being made available because of it.

Regards,

Lee