AdultStemCell.com

John Leavitt, Ph.D. asked:


In mid-January 2008, we heard news that scientists at the small private company, Stemagen, in La Jolla, Calif., successfully cloned human embryonic stem cells. Until this breakthrough, human embryonic stem cells had not been successfully cloned. Only other mammals such as sheep, cattle, goats, mice, cats, and dogs had been cloned. We thought human cloning had been accomplished in May 2005 when Korean scientist reported cloning human cells. But his claim was later disproved as other scientists attempted to verify the result.

The details of Stemagen’s success appeared in the Jan. 17, 2008 issue of the journal, Stem Cells. Stemagen scientists inserted the nucleus of a male individual’s fibroblast (skin cell) into an enucleated female egg, then incubated and cultured stem cells from the blastocyst that developed from the artificially fertilized human egg. This success produced stocks of thousands to millions of “toti-potent” stem cells identical genetically to a single individual. These cells can now be the progenitors of all that individual’s different tissues.

Stemagen CEO Samuel Wood, M.D. Ph.D., donated the fibroblasts from which cell nuclei were taken to fertilize the enucleated female egg. Thus, embryonic cells that developed with Dr. Wood’s donated nuclei are clones of his own progenitor cells.

The prevailing concern was that to be successful once, the attempt at cloning would require hundreds of oocytes (eggs) to clone one individual’s stem cells successfully. Stemogen required only 25 donated oocytes to produce five blastocysts fertilized by a cell nucleus from another individual from which stem cells could be harvested and multiplied in culture.

Putting the Controversy into Perspective

Proponents of this stem cell harvesting technology (therapeutic cloning as opposed to reproductive cloning) hope that such autologous stem cells can be used to regenerate diseased tissues in these individuals using their own stem cells. This therapy is envisioned for treating such diseases as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Muscular Dystrophy, and for repairing spinal cord injuries without the immune system’s rejecting the tissue. Those against embryonic stem cell research argue against the development of this technology primarily to protect the “sanctity of life” and the right to life of the early-stage human embryo as an individual.

At the center of this debate is the issue of “when does human life begin?” One position is that human life begins with the existence of an egg. A second position is that human life begins with the fertilization of the egg. A third position is that human life begins with the recognition of self. Two years ago, I heard a Harvard stem cell scientist describe the following scenario to illustrate validity of the third position: “Imagine an IVF [in vitro fertilization] clinic that has caught fire and will burn to the ground. There is one person who is left trapped within the burning building along with thousands of fertilized eggs stored in liquid nitrogen tanks. Who will the firemen attempt to save?” The reality is that hundreds of thousands of oocytes are stored in liquid nitrogen tanks that will eventually have to be destroyed if they aren’t used in stem cell research.

Cloned Beings Bring Hazards

Of further concern is the forecast that human beings will be born out of advances of this technology. Several years ago we heard tales of visionaries claiming success within the year with a “cloned baby boy.” No doubt this will be attempted with the likelihood of greater success than cold fusion. If this happens it may be of tragic consequences for the cloned beings who develop genetic errors during the cloning process. Notwithstanding this naïve use of stem cells, potential benefits of therapeutic cloning for the afflicted cannot be ignored.

Stemagen scientists state that they have no interest or intent to place these cloned embryos into a woman’s uterus. One wonders how many women would have to be housed to incubate these fertilized eggs to achieve one successful pregnancy. An estimate of at least 300 was floated during the discussion of the fire at the IVF clinic. By contrast about five fusions of somatic nuclei with an enucleated egg (in a petri dish) would generate a therapeutic quantity of stem cells for any individual, according to Stemagen’s finding.

Primary Focus Is on Therapeutic Medicine

Consequently, the goal of Stemagen and many other researchers in this field is to use these autologous stem cells therapeutically by implanting them back into patients to attempt the repair of damaged tissues. No doubt universal acceptance of this medical treatment will take years, and will only come with evidence of success, like in vitro fertilization in the 1970s and recombinant DNA in the 1980s.

There are currently millions of people who could benefit from either direct implantation of autologous stem cells or from the spin-off discoveries of stem cell research. Therefore, I say let’s move forward.

Josh Riverside asked:


Through the years, researchers have not stopped trying to discover the actual cause of hair loss and to find methods to prevent the condition or to promote hair growth.

Stem cell research related to hair growth has been on the news in recent years. Elaine Fuchs, investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Rockefeller University, discovered that two molecules signal immature stem cells to start producing hair follicles. With this knowledge, Fuchs and her team are seeking ways to use drugs to activate natural factors that would signal hair follicle growth in desired places and inhibitor drugs to stop hair growth in unwanted areas.

In separate news, but still related to stem cell research, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine were able to isolate the stem cell responsible for hair follicle growth. With the knowledge of which stem cell produces hair, researchers are pushing their study to find ways to manipulate hair growth. The next step is to use stem cell transplant as a treatment for hair loss.

A common problem for a cancer patient is hair loss, but recent news has reported a new radiation technique that prevents hair loss from occurring in brain cancer patients. Brain cancer treatment subjects the patient to a whole brain radiotherapy wherein two radiation beams are used to target the cancer from each side of the head. By using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), doctors are able to regulate the intensity and shape of the radiation beam to focus on the cancer without damaging the surrounding healthy cells, including hair follicles, thus reducing the amount of hair lost.

For a long period of time, an effective hair loss medication called finasteride is unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration to be taken by women because of its effects on fetus, but recent news reported that Matilde Iorizzo of the University of Bologna, Italy, has recommended that the medication be combined with contraceptives to treat hair loss. Studies conducted on women over a one-year period showed significant improvement in their hair loss condition using this method.

LJ’s Back! asked:


In the past week Joe Biden asked why Sarah Palin doesn’t support stemcell research if she says she supports disabled children. Obama makes a gaffe on ABC and says he’s a muslim. Obama then goes on the O’Reilly factor and says the surge worked beyond his wildest dreams. What??? That seems like a bit different than what he was saying in the primaries. Now, there is the Obama-Palin pig controversy. Obama says he was just making a joke at the GOPs economic plan. Several reporters have said that the crowd went wild when he made the pig comment, so the crowd surely thought he was talking about Palin. Whether or not he was, it seems obvious that the Obama campaign has been off-message a lot recently and are really dancing on the edge of a cliff. Anyone else see the same thing?

Eshwarya Patel asked:


Senator John McCain of Arizona is one of the Republican party’s most promising candidates for the 2008 presidential election. However, in recent times, his fortunes have taken a hit. Recent polls show Mr McCain trailing Rudy Giuliani, the form­er mayor of New York, whose strong leadership after the September 11 terrorist attacks has made him quite a hero.

Since the 2008 election is largely going to be dominated by the issue of national security, people are beginning to wonder if Mr McCain is indeed the right choice for president. In recent times, McCain has given conflicting views on the war in Iraq. Initially, he criticized Donald Rumsfeld, the former defence secretary, as “one of the worst secretaries of defence in history”. He also criticized the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war. However, he recently came out strongly in favour of George W. Bush’s plan to send another 21,500 US troops into the warzone.

Ever since these conflicting signals have come out, McCain’s poll numbers among registered Republican voters and the US public at large have fallen sharply. McCain’s support for stem cell research and lack of forceful opposition to gay marriages have not helped his cause. His views on abortion are also being regarded with suspicion; he has called for the overturning of a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for abortion.

The general public, overall, supports a McCain run for presidency but the the mainstream Republicans do not. As indicative of the CPAC booing his absence from the even. Mitt Romney, a traiditional conservative was the winner of the straw poll.

Eliran Mor, M.D. asked:


President Obama, in one of his first decisions in office, recently signed an executive order to allow allocation of federal funds for embryonic Stem Cell research. Around the same time, “Octomom”, Ms. Nadya Suleman, gave birth to 8 babies conceived using assisted reproductive techniques (ART). Both issues have generated wide debate in our nation and have dominated public interest. Interestingly, the two topics are intimately connected to one another.

It is obvious that Nadia Soleman had an excess number of embryos, which had previously been conceived from her eggs using assisted reproduction (eg. In vitro fertilization=IVF). Nadia and her doctor faced several interesting options. One option, the one apparently chosen, was to transfer all such embryos into her uterus. The risk, which was subsequently realized, was of having a higher-order multiple gestation implant in Nadia’s uterus. This often leads to a risky pregnancy, with both mom and fetuses facing serious medical complications.

Nadia could have opted for undergoing an invasive procedure called “selective fetal reduction” where one or several implanted embryos is terminated (“reduced”) at the end of the first trimester, leaving behind a reduced, and less risky number of fetuses, typically one or two. To many couples undergoing ART, and obviously to Nadia as well, this is not an option, as it is viewed as “killing” of a fetus, or an abortion.

A third option, the one most commonly taken, could have been to selectively transfer only one to two embryos into Nadia’s uterus, in an effort to virtually eliminate the possibility of a higher-order multiple gestation. Remaining, un-transferred embryos, could then undergo freezing (or re-freezing in the event they had previously been frozen and thawed). A fourth option, and one which is becoming more and more relevant with President Obama’s recent lifting of the ban on embryonic stem cell (ES) research, could have been to donate un-transferred embryos to research.

Human embryonic stem cells (hES) are ones derived from early embryos called morulas and blastocysts, which are readily available in most IVF labs from patients who undergo ART and conceive an excess number of embryos. Human ES cells are unique in that they are pluripotent, possessing the ability to differentiate into practically all cells in the human body. As such, these cells are incredibly unique because, if induced correctly, they may be used in various ways to regenerate injured or missing human tissue, presenting many cures to a large number of diseases.

Adult ES cells, on the other hand, despite being much more readily available than hES, are only multipotent, having a more limited ability to differentiate into various human tissues. As such, hES are unique and precious, and research into their characteristics and into various ways by which they may be induced to differentiate, is desperately needed. Such research may only be conducted if patients undergoing ART are kind enough to donate unused embryos to be served as a source for hES.

DecemberOfDying asked:

Read the title. Won’t Vlog in a while, camera has to be fixed because I looked at the screen and it cracked. I also twisted it too tight onto the tripod, and part of it broke. Have to go read, bye! TO THE HATERS: Yes, I do realize that I am an idiot, and I know I’m ugly, so don’t even start.