AdultStemCell.com

Suzanne Kay asked:


We hear a lot these days about stem cell research, but many of us are unaware of what exactly stem cells are and what can be done with them. There are several types of stem cells including adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells reside throughout the human body within tissue, blood and organs; they are plentiful and readily available. Adult stem cells refers to the stage or maturity of the stem cell. They are also found in the tissues of the umbilical cord (after live birth), spinal cord, fat, bone marrow, dental pulp, nasal cavity, brain, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, cornea, digestive system, retina, liver, and pancreas.

Peripheral stem cell transplantation is the process of removing the stem cells from one person and donating them to a recipient- in my case it was my brother. In most cases donors are siblings since tissue type is most identical to the patient’s own. After it had been determined that I was a perfect match for my brother, I had a physical and endless blood work. I passed my tests and then it was on to phase one.

This involved six days of receiving neupogen shots which stimulate the release of stem cells from the bone marrow into my blood so they can be harvested for my brother. It’s important during this period to drink plenty of water. I had decided to go to the hospital each day for the shots, but some people opt to inject themselves at home. The shots sting a bit and after the first several days, mild bone aches began- mostly in my hip and sternum. It was nothing that an occasional tylenol couldn’t remedy.

On the fifth day, I reported to the hospital first thing in the morning and was prepped for the apheresis or the harvesting of my stem cells. I was connected to a centrifuge machine: one line brought the blood out from one arm into the machine where the blood was separated and the stem cells were collected into a bag. My blood, minus the stem cells, then returned to me in another arm. During the procedure, an anticoagulant was going through my system to prevent clotting and calcium was also given. Aside from the discomfort of being in bed and unable to move around for 6 or 7 hours, it was not painful or unpleasant.

Unfortunately, the first harvest did not capture enough stem cells for my brother- this is determined by patient weight, so I returned to the hospital the following morning to repeat the procedure. I had been worried about side effects from the Neupogen as well as the apheresis, but the only side effect was several days of fatigue.

My advice to anyone contemplating a peripheral stem cell procedure is to learn as much as you can in advance. Ask questions of the doctors and nurses who are caring for your loved one and who are working with you. The procedure is much less painful than bone marrow aspiration. Most of us are squeamish when it comes to the subject of blood, but the more you understand what is going on, the less nervous you will be.

Yvonne Perry asked:


Many ultra-religious people are opposed to blastocyst stem cell research because they think it destroys a human embryo. There are some scientific reasons why this cannot be true.

First of all, fertilization and conception are not synonymous and do not occur at the same time. Fertilization of an egg may occur in the fallopian tube or in-vitro by scientific means. It takes only a few hours after the sperm and ovum unite to start the process of cell division. Conception occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine lining and begins to draw nourishment. A pregnancy does not actually begin until the process of conception is complete. This process takes several days and can be confirmed by testing the levels of progesterone and hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) present in the mother’s blood. When conception in the uterus is complete, the fertilized egg can then develop into an embryo. Fertilization can be done in a lab. As long as the fertilized egg remains in the laboratory, it cannot become an embryo. It can continue to reproduce undifferentiated cells.

A three- to five-day-old in vitro blastocyst can be introduced to a woman’s womb, but conception is not automatically assured. Conception can only occur inside a woman’s body; preferably in the uterus and not in the fallopian tube. Thus, we correctly use the term “in-vitro fertilization” but not “in-vitro conception.”

Incorrect terminology is what has caused a lot of the controversy about stem cell research and there is a great need to correct the language used to refer to in-vitro stem cells. To call a fertilized egg an embryo is not accurate. As we discussed, an embryo can only develop after conception and conception can only occur in the uterus. Since conception cannot occur in-vitro, there are no embryos in the lab; there are sperm, ova, zygotes and blastocysts on deposit. You would use the term “zygote” or “morula” to refer to a one-day old fertilized egg and “blastocyst” to refer to the mass of cells as they divide and reach the 100-cell stage.

The In vitro Process

The in vitro process is for the purpose of assisting couples who have difficulty with the normal processes of fertility. Let’s suppose a couple goes to a lab for fertility assistance. Both partners would “donate” sperm and ova. The lab successfully fertilizes three eggs for the couple. There are now three zygotes that begin developing into a blastocyst. One blastocyst is introduced into the uterus and the other two are frozen while the couple waits to see if conception will occur. If implantation is not successful and pregnancy is not accomplished, the couple may try again using another blastocyst they have deposited. Let’s say the couple conceives after one try and there are two blastocysts remaining in the lab. Now comes the question, “What would you like the lab to do with the leftover blastocysts?”

The couple presently has four choices:

1. Pay to have the cells preserved for another attempt at pregnancy a few years down the road (although the shelf life of a frozen blastocyst is not eternal)

2. Simply throw them away

3. Let them be used for research in privately-funded labs

4. Give them up for surrogate adoption. Ideally, all leftover blastocysts would be used for surrogate pregnancy, but the supply of available blastocysts is greater than the number of people wanting to adopt them.

If a couple does not want to continue paying for storage, the lab will likely put the cells in the trash. A better and more sensible use for these cells would be to donate them to research laboratories. Knowing this, it makes no sense why anyone would think it more morally upright to discard the cells than use them for research. Put aside religious and political opinions, and let the scientific facts guide you.

Scott Saunders asked:


Turn on the news, open a newspaper – in today’s age a person can’t do either without running into news relating to stem cell research and the controversy surrounding stem cell proliferation. Stem cells have been made out to be the panacea for regenerating and repairing of the human body. Stem cells are known for their ability to change into any other type of cell the body requires at the time. A liver cell? No problem. A bicep cell. Done.

It’s no wonder the research community would like to find out how to increase the body’s natural production of stem cells from the bone marrow where they are made. In a 2003 article from the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of researchers from John Hopkins Medical Center released a study that donor stem cells had been found to have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Their next question was could these stem cells help to correct problems in the brain by changing themselves into the defective brain cells and to promote the growth of new neurons?

At the same time in a separate field of study– nutrition – Dr. McDaniel from the Fischer Institute had been trying to understand how many patients with neurological disorders began showing improved brain function after their diets were supplemented with glyconutrients and other micronutrients.

The next logical step after this observation was to determine if, in fact, the glyconutrients had anything to do with increasing the production of stem cells. If this could be proved true, as it seemed to be, it would mean that with a diet supplemented with glyconutrients, a person’s body would be capable of creating more stem cells. These stem cells with their inherent knowledge of where they are needed, would head to the brain to promote growth of new neurons to replace the damaged and defective neurons there. In time, this could mean increased and improved brain function in patients suffering from many neurological disorders.

Currently, the scientific community is conducting studies to prove this correlation. However, for those looking for answers now, take a look at the individual cases studies where numerous people have found that by adding glyconutrients to their diet they have been able to better their neurological brain function. One study, conducted by Dr. McDaniel, appears to support the theory that glyconutrients dramatically boost adult stem cell production.

To add to the need for further rigorously conducted studies on glyconutrients, several smaller studies have found that when glyconutrients are added to the diet, for unknown reasons, they tend to cause adult stem cell production to increase up to 300 times. Take for example that a normal pint of blood has 1 adult stem cell while a pint of blood from a person supplemented with glyconutrients has 300 stem cells. The implications of this are far reaching and much more study is warranted.

Debbie L. Anderson asked:


The potential needs for stem cells have made it a highly available focus in medical articles today. Stem cells are the precursors to all cell in the human body, and are primarily produced in the bone marrow in adults. During times of crisis, such as when a patient suffers from leukemia, the spleen and other organs that contain stem cells during infant development will take over production. This is the body’s way of preserve proper cell balances and replenishing itself as old cells die. For example, red blood cells in the circulation merely have a lifespan of approximately four months; during that time the hematopoietic stem cell in the bone marrow are continuously producing new rubriblasts, the precursor cells that will over time become mature erythrocytes.

Heart failure is a devastating blow to the human body system, and despite the best efforts of major hospitals and researchers often results in permanent organ damage and eventual death. Researchers are fighting to put a stop to the high mortality rate of congestive heart failure, and believe stem cells may be the way to do it.

There are many forms of stem cells; for the sake of following a line of investigation scientists they are currently focusing on the embryonic and adult varieties. Embryonic stem cells come from a blastocyst, a four to five day old human embryo. During gestation these pluripotent cells will displace and breed, forming the human body and internal organs of the fetus. Embryonic stem cell are highly valued for inquiries for some reasons; they are able to provide large numbers of replenishing cells and have no limitations on what form of cells they can become. The use of embryonic stem cells is highly polemical, however, due to the fact that collection often requires the destruction of the embryo.

Stems cells may also can be grown for the purpose of transplants.Ts to be had for an organ transplant are not as easily obtained as physicians would wish for, and there are often waiting lists years long for every available organ. Stem cells grow readily in a laboratory nature, and if unstimulated to differentiate will imitate pluripotent daughter cells. This results in a tissue that will in effect adapt to whatever environment it is placed in. Research scientists theorize that with the proper environment essentially grow heart tissue and transplant it to the patient who has suffered signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure, replacing the dead and damaged tissues with live, vital tissue. This procedure would allow the heart to function more easily and hopefully give the patient a better chance for survival.

There are respective methods that have been published in research journals regarding the application of stem cells in the remedy of signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure failure. Congestive heart failure results when cells in the heart are dysfunctional or destroyed and the heart is unable to properly pump blood all the way through the body. Several patients are able to be treated using mechanical aids or transfer, but this is not each time the case. Several years ago a assemblage of patients with no other to be had options for treatment agreed to be part of a test analyze regarding stem cells. Autologous stem cells were taken out from the marrow and injected into the failing heart tissue through the chest wall. Patients who acknowledged this treatment showed clear progress, presumptively as a outcome of stem cell action. The microscopic means by which this occurs is still unknown; however, research scientists anticipate that the stem cell is either growing new vessels or acting as a beacon to bring other cells in to repair the damaged tissue.

With current medicine the prognosis for sufferers of congestive heart failure is grim. At least fifty percent will die within five years of being diagnosed, and individuals who are not victims of this mortality rate will feel the effects of their heart failure for the rest of their lives. Stem cell research represents at least a chance for those patients to beat these odds. With anything that is good there is also evil but in my humble opinion after much research I feel that stem cell research should continue.

Don Margolis asked:


Women are constantly looking to “stay young” and one of the tools they have always had at their disposal was the facelift. The surgical procedure while relatively safe did have some risks such as possible facial scars, nerve damage or rarely some hematomas.

Now, thanks to some stem cell research, a doctor has come up with a revolutionary new procedure which eliminates these risks by avoiding surgery altogether and replacing it with a “Stem Cell Facelift.” Dr. Vincent Giampapa, has developed a technique in which he takes Adult Stem Cells from the patient’s lower abdominal area and then transplants the stem cells onto the patient’s face in a procedure similar to fat grafting.

The stem cells in the fat have growth factors which induce the skin on the face to repair and produce more new cells. The skin rejuvenates itself naturally using its own cells. This ‘natural’ facelift results in a better skin quality in the patient and thus they look younger.

The procedure is done in about one hour under a local anesthesia. No hospital is needed as the minimally invasive procedure can be done in an office setting.

Another benefit of this new procedure is it is cheaper than a normal facelift.

The lower cost, the better outcome, and safety aspects make this “Stem Cell Facelift,” a procedure sure to catch on very quickly.

This is just another example that show Adult Stem Cells are improving lives everywhere. Not only are they curing diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Heart Disease and other conditions. Now, they are being used to repair broken bones, repair cartilage and in this case, act as a natural facelift.

Adult Stem Cells are not something that can be used 20 years in the future. Adult Stem Cells are helping people now.

John T Jones, Ph.D. asked:


This article discusses the following topics in question format on stem cells:

What are stem cells?

How are stem cells obtained?

What other potential stem cell sources are there?

Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?

What are the goals of stem cell research?

How will stem cells affect our future?

If you are deeply interested in stem cells for the first time and want to go beyond this article, go to the National Institute site and read their very comprehensive list of frequently answered questions (FAQs). The URL is http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/faqs.asp.

If you are deeply interested in stem cell research, go to: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/.

What are stem cells?

The question should be phrased in terms of embryonic stem cells because that is what we are talking about here.

A human embryo is obtained when a woman’s egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm. This occurs in the human body but it can also be done in a laboratory. The procedure is often used in cases of infertility.

I have three grandchildren formed in this way. Their mother donated eggs, their father donated sperm, and the technicians watched the fertilization take place under a microscope. The fertilized eggs were placed in the mother and she gave birth to triplets.

If embryos formed in this way are not placed in the mother they can be and are used for medical research. Often extra fertilized eggs are produced during this process. Scientist would like to harvest these extra eggs rather than discard them. They could then use them to obtain stem cells.

Stem cells are never obtained from fertilized eggs that reside in a woman’s body.

The embryos obtained after they are a few days old are in the form of a mass of cells called a blastocyst; the embryo of about 150 cells. The blastocyst consists of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophectoderm), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).

How are stem cells obtained?

Cell cultures are grown in the laboratory by transferring the inner cell mass of about 30 cells into a culture dish which has a nutrient broth. The cells quickly multiply and fill the dish. They are then transferred to other culture dishes and the process goes on for months.

Once the cells are obtained they can be frozen and shipped to other laboratories.

What other potential stem cell sources are there?

Adult stem cells are a potential source. They can be used to reproduce cell of their type. That is, while embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any type of cell, adult stem cells can only reproduce cells of their type. If they are muscle cells, they can be used to reproduce only muscle cells. However, recent work has indicated that some adult stem cells may be able to differentiate into other cell types.

Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?

Because stem cells can differentiate, that is, can be used to reproduce other cell types, they have tremendous potential for solving many human health problems.

Some groups do not want scientist to take human embryos for research in any way whatsoever. Because of this, President Bush restricted stem cell research to existing stem cell sources. Other governments have stayed out of the research arena and stem cells are collected at the whims of the scientist.

Scientists argue that excess stem cells are produced in fertility clinics and that they should be used to benefit mankind.

So, what do you think?

What are the goals of stem cell research?

First, scientists want to understand differentiation. We all know that the human embryo creates all the cell types in the human body. Scientists want to know how and when genes turn on and off to create a particular cell type. Abnormal cell divisions cause birth defects and cancer. Scientists want to know what signals a change in the process of cell development. This could lead to cures for cancer and birth defects.

Stem cells could be used to test new drugs rather than human guinea pigs and animals. Damage to the stem cells would eliminate the drug before it could do damage in the market place, as so many drugs do now.

I would like to quote http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics6.asp directly at this point: Perhaps the most important potential application of human stem cells is the generation of cells and tissues that could be used for Cell-based therapies—treatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or depleted adult cell populations or tissues.

Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

How will stem cells affect our future?

Have you heard of the Fountain of Youth?

Lawrence Ebert asked:


On April 24, an article in the MIT Technology Review portrayed the immediate concern over the Wisconsin/WARF/Thomson patents on stem cells as how the patents will affect basic academic research, which, in turn, could affect the development of stem cell-based tools and therapies.

The article mentioned a possible gambit by the state of California to ensure cooperation among researchers of different states. The oversight committee of California’s CIRM recently announced that any California researchers who develop patented discoveries using California state funds must share their patents with other state researchers. Ed Penhoet of CIRM was quoted: “We hope WARF will reciprocate.” Of course, one issue is that WARF presently has patents related to embyronic stem cells, and CIRM does not. Further, one would need to know details of what is shared. Does the sharing only pertain to the use by researchers in academic institutions, or does it extend to companies created by such researchers? One of the prime selling points to voters of states such as California and New Jersey was that the state funding research would recover expended money through patent royalties. If everyone gets a free license, such a recovery is unlikely to happen.

The article goes through the world of patent useage as among different patent-holding universities. Universities generally allow other institutions to use patented technologies without special permission. The litigated case of Madey v. Duke University is an exception to this general rule, although it was a patent-holding professor who sued a university. Furthermore, WARF requires universities to get a license to do embryonic stem cell research. “None of us understand why we need a license…Why is this technology any different?” says one technology-transfer official. The license of WARF to the University of California, for example, permits scientists to use only a small number of embryonic stem cell lines. And the license granted to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization that funds scientists across the nation, prohibits scientists from accepting funding from or collaborating with commercial companies unless the company has a commercial license from WARF.

The article presents an interesting quote by Jeanne Loring, who herself is an author of an article criticizing the WARF patent royalty demand [311 Science 1716 (2006)]: Jeanne Loring, a scientist at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, CA, started a short-lived embryonic stem cell company several years ago. “I learned from venture capital investors that these patents existed and that it would be impossible to obtain funding from them,” she says. This quote is significant for at least two reasons. First, one sees that venture capitalists were aware of the Thomson/WARF patents and saw them as a show-stopper as to VC investment in the field. Thus, as to small research entities spurning money from CIRM over disputes about patent royalty rights, one suspects such small entities do NOT have VC funding as a viable alternative. I suspect the length of time before payout is separately a showstopper as to VC funding; nothing here looks ready for commercialization within seven years, a typical VC benchmark. Second, in the world of Bayh-Dole, it’s kind of scary that one professor/entrepreneur would not know of relevant patents of a Bayh-Dole grantee. Further, it’s also scary that CIRM apparently had not anticipated the WARF play, which failure is somewhat hard to fathom since the basic patent issued years ago.

The basic WARF/Thomson patent is US 5,843,780 (issued 1 Dec 1998 to James A. Thomson, based on application 591246 filed 18 Jan 1996; the application was a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/376,327 filed Jan. 20, 1995. It was obtained with funding from the federal NIH, and thus represents a patent obtainted through the auspices of the Bayh-Dole Act. It is separately true that Thomson, a few days after filing his basic patent application, submitted a paper to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which appeared as 92 PNAS 7844 (1995). His effort at patenting did not impede his efforts at rapid public disclosure.

Kenneth Taymor, an attorney with the Stanford Program on Stem Cells in Society, is quoted in the article: “The more that WARF presses its rights, the more research will be impinged and the more likely it will move offshore.” This boogeyman won’t hunt. In a different variant, research was going to move offshore after Bush’s restriction in 2001.

Taymor and the article author Emily Singer simply neglect to mention the role that 35 USC 271(e)(1) is going to play in research on embryonic stem cells. Therapies arising from embryonic stem cells are going to need FDA approval. Work done to meet FDA requirements is insulated from infringement liability through the safe harbor of 271(e)(1), as expansively interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Merck v. Integra.

Issues discussed in the present article are related to those mentioned in Ebert, Lawrence. (2006, April 13). Will Wisconsin’s Patents Block Embryonic Stem Cell Research?. EzineArticles. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://ezinearticles.com/?id=178431 and Ebert, Lawrence. (2006, April 12). Los Angeles Times Article Way Off Base on Stem Cell Issues. EzineArticles. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Los-Angeles-Times-Article-Way-Off-Base-on-Stem-Cell-Issues&id=178050.

Lawrence Ebert asked:


On April 24, an article in the MIT Technology Review portrayed the immediate concern over the Wisconsin/WARF/Thomson patents on stem cells as how the patents will affect basic academic research, which, in turn, could affect the development of stem cell-based tools and therapies.

The article mentioned a possible gambit by the state of California to ensure cooperation among researchers of different states. The oversight committee of California’s CIRM recently announced that any California researchers who develop patented discoveries using California state funds must share their patents with other state researchers. Ed Penhoet of CIRM was quoted: “We hope WARF will reciprocate.” Of course, one issue is that WARF presently has patents related to embyronic stem cells, and CIRM does not. Further, one would need to know details of what is shared. Does the sharing only pertain to the use by researchers in academic institutions, or does it extend to companies created by such researchers? One of the prime selling points to voters of states such as California and New Jersey was that the state funding research would recover expended money through patent royalties. If everyone gets a free license, such a recovery is unlikely to happen.

The article goes through the world of patent useage as among different patent-holding universities. Universities generally allow other institutions to use patented technologies without special permission. The litigated case of Madey v. Duke University is an exception to this general rule, although it was a patent-holding professor who sued a university. Furthermore, WARF requires universities to get a license to do embryonic stem cell research. “None of us understand why we need a license…Why is this technology any different?” says one technology-transfer official. The license of WARF to the University of California, for example, permits scientists to use only a small number of embryonic stem cell lines. And the license granted to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization that funds scientists across the nation, prohibits scientists from accepting funding from or collaborating with commercial companies unless the company has a commercial license from WARF.

The article presents an interesting quote by Jeanne Loring, who herself is an author of an article criticizing the WARF patent royalty demand [311 Science 1716 (2006)]: Jeanne Loring, a scientist at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, CA, started a short-lived embryonic stem cell company several years ago. “I learned from venture capital investors that these patents existed and that it would be impossible to obtain funding from them,” she says. This quote is significant for at least two reasons. First, one sees that venture capitalists were aware of the Thomson/WARF patents and saw them as a show-stopper as to VC investment in the field. Thus, as to small research entities spurning money from CIRM over disputes about patent royalty rights, one suspects such small entities do NOT have VC funding as a viable alternative. I suspect the length of time before payout is separately a showstopper as to VC funding; nothing here looks ready for commercialization within seven years, a typical VC benchmark. Second, in the world of Bayh-Dole, it’s kind of scary that one professor/entrepreneur would not know of relevant patents of a Bayh-Dole grantee. Further, it’s also scary that CIRM apparently had not anticipated the WARF play, which failure is somewhat hard to fathom since the basic patent issued years ago.

The basic WARF/Thomson patent is US 5,843,780 (issued 1 Dec 1998 to James A. Thomson, based on application 591246 filed 18 Jan 1996; the application was a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/376,327 filed Jan. 20, 1995. It was obtained with funding from the federal NIH, and thus represents a patent obtainted through the auspices of the Bayh-Dole Act. It is separately true that Thomson, a few days after filing his basic patent application, submitted a paper to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which appeared as 92 PNAS 7844 (1995). His effort at patenting did not impede his efforts at rapid public disclosure.

Kenneth Taymor, an attorney with the Stanford Program on Stem Cells in Society, is quoted in the article: “The more that WARF presses its rights, the more research will be impinged and the more likely it will move offshore.” This boogeyman won’t hunt. In a different variant, research was going to move offshore after Bush’s restriction in 2001.

Taymor and the article author Emily Singer simply neglect to mention the role that 35 USC 271(e)(1) is going to play in research on embryonic stem cells. Therapies arising from embryonic stem cells are going to need FDA approval. Work done to meet FDA requirements is insulated from infringement liability through the safe harbor of 271(e)(1), as expansively interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Merck v. Integra.

Issues discussed in the present article are related to those mentioned in Ebert, Lawrence. (2006, April 13). Will Wisconsin’s Patents Block Embryonic Stem Cell Research?. EzineArticles. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://ezinearticles.com/?id=178431 and Ebert, Lawrence. (2006, April 12). Los Angeles Times Article Way Off Base on Stem Cell Issues. EzineArticles. Retrieved April 24, 2006, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Los-Angeles-Times-Article-Way-Off-Base-on-Stem-Cell-Issues&id=178050.

Yvonne Perry asked:


The media has given the public some misleading and non-factual information about embryonic stem cell research. This has confused people and created misunderstanding and unnecessary controversy. Furthermore these lies have prevented federal funding for research that holds a great potential for treatment of illnesses such as spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s Disease and many other medical conditions with which humans suffer. Never in history has one technology held such strong potential to help a majority of people live a healthier life and it is important to know the truth about it.

What is a Stem Cell? The term “stem cell” refers to an undifferentiated cell that is capable of developing into other types of cells such as liver cells, kidney cells, brain cells, depending on their surrounding conditions. Every type of cell in the body originates from stem cells that appear during the first few days after an ovum and sperm are united.

The cells used for embryonic research are derived from unused fertilized eggs created during in vitro infertility treatment. An ovum that has been fertilized by a spermatozoon is called a zygote or morula. Once planted into the wall of the womb (usually between day 4 and day 5), the clump of cells is called a blastocyst. Zygotes or blastocysts are unspecific in what type of cells they will become.

Research on blastocyst stem cells offers the most promise because these stem cells are able to replicate themselves and have “plasticity” or the ability to differentiate into any cell type and repair tissues in the body. Adult stem cells do not offer the same promise because they are somatic or limited and can only develop into the type of cells found in the organ from which they are taken. Additionally, not all adult organs contain stem cells; therefore not all organs can be regenerated by using adult stem cells. This explains why adult stem cells are not adequate to regenerate the parts of the body damaged through Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, SCI and diabetes.

The main source of controversy to blastocyst stem cell research comes from people who believe that taking stem cells from blastocysts destroys an embryo in the process. This is not true. Scientists can take cells from a blastocyst and coax them into growing additional stem cells without harming the blastocyst. The stem cells of the blastocyst phase are not complete organisms, they are not human beings; they are just cells. Leftover blastocysts are normally discarded. They could be used for research purposes.

Members of the New York State Center of Research Excellence in Spinal Cord Injury conducted a study on rats with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) using human blastocyst stem cells from the central nervous system. After being coaxed into differentiating into a specific type of immature astrocytes supportive of nerve fiber growth, these cells were transplanted into cuts in the spinal cord of adult rats that had spinal cord injury. More than 60% the rats’ sensory nerve fibers regenerated without scar formation at the injury site. Within eight days approximately two-thirds of the nerve fibers had grown all the way through the injury sites. Within two weeks the rats were able to walk normally. This shows great regenerative potential for healing of spinal cord injury in humans. However, we need funds to do more research before this experiment can benefit humans.

H.R. 810 (the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005) was passed by Congress to release federal funds for blastocyst stem cell research. President Bush vetoed the bill. A second bill, HR 3, is now before the Congress to allowing stem cell lines created after August 2001 to be used for federally funded research. The erroneous beliefs about stem cell research must be challenged if our society is to benefit from this advanced biotechnology.

I am writing a book titled Right to Recover: Winning The Political And Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research In America. It presents a reasoned voice that will challenge the misinformation, educate people with facts to help secure federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. Here’s what you can do to help:

Write your senator or state representative requesting support for legislation to fund stem cell technology. Vote for a candidate who supports government funding for research on blastocyst stem cells. Share with others what you have learned in this article. If you would like to be notified when my book becomes available, please subscribe to my free monthly newsletter.

Dr. Tom Rhudy asked:


What is the real debate? When we discuss stem cell research pros and cons, is the debate truly about adult v. embryonic? If so, why is that fact frequently obfuscated?

It is the nascent (i.e., early) stage that provides the remarkable potential to develop into many different types in the body. They serve as a sort of repair system for the body. Theoretically, they can divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive.

What happens when division occurs? Potentially, it either remains in the nascent state or develops a more specialized function (e.g., muscle, RBC, brain, etc.).

In the nascent stage, it may turn into liver, skin , nerve, etc. In the early-stage (hence, the term “stem”), they possess varied abilities to differentiate (i.e., turn) and become more specialized.

What exactly are “embryonic stem cells”? They come from embryos that are four to five days old.

In this nascent stage, it is called a blastocyst. Blastocysts have approximately 50 to 150 cells.

In this stage, they are classified as “pluripotent” (i.e., they can divide into more stem cells or they can specialize and become any tissue). Therein lies the gist of the argument for the use of them in the embryonic phase, a phase in which they have the highest potential for use to regenerate or repair diseased tissue and organs in people.

Thus, the term “the master cells of the human body”. They can divide and replicate themselves, as well as other structures.

They are found in various parts of the human body at every stage of development from embryo, where they can turn into any of the 300 different types that make up the adult body.

In the “adult” (a/k/a “somatic”) phase, they exist throughout the body. They are found inside of different types of tissue. Additionally, one may find them in adult tissue, and cord-blood may be harvested from the umbilical cord following birth.

They have been found in, among others, the following tissues: (1) brain; (2) bone marrow; (3) blood; (4) blood vessels; (5) skeletal muscles; (6) skin; and (7) the liver. Adult stem cells remain in a quiescent (i.e., non-dividing) state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury.

There are three principal processes in which they play a central role in an organism: (1) development; (2) repair of damaged tissue; and (3) cancer resulting from division gone awry.

They were first used in Medicine to regenerate healthy blood and immune cells in cancer patients following chemotherapy. From this, the field of “regenerative medicine” emerged. This is a field in which scientists focus on the use of cord-blood for the treatment of both brain injury and juvenile diabetes.

Once matured, they eventually become bones, heart muscle, nerve, and other organs and tissue. Observing this transformation provides a better understanding of how a variety of diseases and conditions develop.

They have the potential to renew themselves through a process called mitosis. During this process, they may differentiate into many different specialized types.

Although there are 300 trillion of them, most have specialized functions. These specialized functions include production of blood, lung tissue, brain tissue, skin, and liver cells.

For the most part, they cannot do anything other than that for which they were specifically designed. Contrariwise, nascent stages, they do not have specialized function. Therefore, they are immature and possess the potential to develop into many different kinds. Thus, the moniker “‘all-purpose”.

A lack of specialization suggests that they possess the ability to reproduce themselves, indefinitely. Furthermore, under the right conditions, they may develop and mature, producing nerve, skin, pancreas, and other tissues possessing specialized functions.

The body contains over 200 types, each with a specific job. As blood, they carry oxygen. As muscle, they contract so that we can move. As nerves, they transmit chemical signals.

The primary purpose: make new cells. They do this by undergoing an amazing differentiation-process, changing into many types.

When they divide, one of them often remains in its original state, while the other specializes (e.g., heart, blood, brain, or other type). It is amazing that they appear to be able to divide and replenish themselves – without any apparent limit.

Greg White asked:


Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. It contains stem cells that have been found to be excellent for research and treatment of many diseases. Cord stem cells are very young cells that have the potential to develop into many types of organs or tissues within the body. Previously, stem cells from embryos were used for research. Because this destroyed the embryo there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding their use.

Using cord blood stem cells has other advantages for research and treatment as well. There is a steady supply of stem cells to be used. Parents can place their child’s cord blood stem cells into a bank for future use. They can be used later if needed by the child or even a close family member. Tissues or organs produced with stem cells that are a genetic match reduces the risk that the body will reject the new organ.

Cord blood stem cells are removed and can be grown in the laboratory. Researchers around the world have already been using them in groundbreaking ways with exciting results. They can be used to help in the treatment or even the cures of many diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota have been able to differentiate cord blood cells into lung cells. These cells will help repair lungs after injury or disease. Until now, only brain stem cells could be used for this purpose. The findings may lead to the future ability to examine cord blood from babies inflicted with lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis to determine why they have the disease and find a way to avoid it.

A team of researchers in South Korea has used cord blood stem cell research to grow a partial liver. The cells secrete insulin, which can be used in the treatment of diabetes. Scientists are optimistic that further research will allow them to grow an entire liver (or other organ), which can then be used for transplant. This would be a significant event, which would save thousands of lives of those waiting for an organ.

Similar findings are developing with researchers around the world. The exciting news is that there seems to be no limit to the diseases that cord blood stem cell research may treat or even cure in the future. With an ample supply of fresh stem cells to work with the researchers can expand their current capabilities allowing for faster results.

George Christodoulou asked:


People should understand that cholesterol can have harmful effects on the body. The chances of cardiovascular diseases or heart attacks or strokes are likely to be increased when the level of cholesterol is high in the body.

Hence reducing the level of cholesterol becomes very important. Medication is not going to help people to solve this problem as the high dose of medicines can have side effects on the body. Therefore it is always advisable for the people to stick to the natural treatments. These natural treatments involves maintenance of proper diet, consuming of healthy food, avoid over eating, avoid oily and fatty foods etc can help people to control the level of cholesterol.

People can consult dietitians to suggest some proper food which can be effective to reduce cholesterol levels. Therefore adopting proper eating habits is very essential.

First of all people should start avoiding junk food and canned foods which contains the saturated fats. cookies, cakes, chips should be avoided and also consumption of dairy products like cheese, butter etc should be completely stopped. People should make use of cholesterol free dairy products which are readily available in the market.

Red meat also contains saturated fats and hence the consumption of red meat should be stopped. Garlic and fish oil can help to reduce cholesterol to a great extent. Hence the use of garlic should be made regular in your food. People should consume fruits like apple, orange, peas, carrots etc and people should also drink green tea everyday which can help the body to lower the cholesterol level.

Spencer Hunt asked:


Research Glyconutrients and Stem Cells

Scientists and universities have done a lot of research recently on stem cell therapy. There has been some less well known studies conducted by Dr. Reg McDaniel M.D. at the Fischer Institute for Medical Research, that have connected stem cells with the consumption of glyconutrients by a certain company. Before we discuss glyconutrients science and stem cells, allow me to discuss mainstream stem cell research.

Stem cells are being touted as the next big thing in biology. They serve many exceptional functions as a repair system for the human body. They are believed to be able to divide perpetually and replenish other cells as long as the host (person or animal) remains alive. The remarkable thing about stem cells is that as they divide, they can either become other stem cells or some other type of cell such as a red blood cell, brain cell or muscle cell. They can be used to replace damaged cells in a living organism. These discoveries are leading scientists to look into further medical benefits.

Doctors and scientists are taking a hard look at stem cell therapy as a treatment for health issues such as Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting more that 2% of those over 65 years of age. The disease is an aggressive and progressive degeneration of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine. This leads to rigidity, tremor and abnormally decreased mobility. Scientists believe that Parkinson’s is one of the first diseases that can viably benefit from stem cell transplantation. Scientific studies are successfully using embryonic stem cells to turn into the dopamine producing neurons that are systematically depleted by the disease. This has been successful in rats and is hoped to soon be used on humans with the same success.

While most people are familiar with embryonic stem cells, there are also other types of stem cells, that are less well known, that scientists are working with currently. There are other types of stem cells such as adult stem cells. These have different characteristics and function differently from embryonic stem cells.

What are the Different Stem Cell Types? And Disadvantages?

- “Embryonic Stem Cells” – Cells derived from human blastocysts.
Disadvantages? Requires embryo destruction.

- “Fetal Stem Cells” – Cells from gonads of aborted fetuses.
Disadvantages? Requires destruction of weeks old fetus

- “Placenta derived Stem Cells” – Cells from the placenta of newborns.
Disadvantages? Low frequency (but higher than cord blood)

- “Umbilical Cord Stem Cells” – Cells from the umbilical cord blood of newborns.
Disadvantages? Very Low frequency of stem cells

- “Adult Stem Cells” – Cells from adult tissues.
Disadvantages? Extremely low frequency

The Expense of a Stem Cell Transplant

How expensive is a Stem Cell transplant? The starting cost for a single stem cell transplant is around $100,000 but that does not include the cost of the long hospital stay usually involved. You may need to repeat the process several times and get several expensive stem cell transplants in order to get the results that you would like to see. Continued controversial stem cell research is being done but meanwhile there is the option of glyconutrients supplements. While glyconutrients are safe and considerably cheaper than any other option, it is recommended that you do not replace your current medical advice with glyconutrients, but instead add the glyconutrients supplement program to whatever your doctor is currently having you do.

Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research is still a fairly new science. 20 years ago scientists conducted a study on mouse stem cells. It was this study that led to the 1998 discovery of isolating stem cells from human embryos and growing these cells in the laboratory. It is important to point out that the embryos that are used in these studies actually were created for couples facing infertility. When these couples sought out in vitro fertilization and implanted certain embryos, the embryos that were not used were determined as no longer needed. Thus, they were donated for research, but the donor was informed and had to give consent.

Then, as recently as February 19, 2003, there was a study by Johns Hopkins Medical School that was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which discovered that donor stem cells actually crossed the blood brain barrier to become neurons in the recipient’s brain!! This was important for many reasons. Until this point, Dr. Reg McDaniel’s research team was unable to find a medical explanation for why people with permanent cognitive brain function problems were having such great results from consuming glyconutrients.

Since human embryonic stem cells have only been studied over the past decade, scientists who are working to develop treatments for certain diseases are studying the most basic properties of stem cells. They are working to determine how stem cells can remain unspecialized for years, how they can self renew and they are working to determine the signals that triggers stem cells into becoming specialized cells.

Stem cells can also be derived from adult tissue. This can be done with absolutely no harm to the subject. The downside to this is that it is extremely difficult to extract stem cells from an adult and the quantity is severely limited. Additionally, researchers contend that adult stem cells are quite limited in their usefulness. There are only a handful of cells that they can actually produce. However, researchers are still working and believe that there is some evidence that is coming to light that indicates adult stem cells may actually have more to offer in flexibility that earlier believed. Meanwhile, why not add “glyconutrients” to your diet?

Stem Cells and Glyconutrients

Several clinical studies have been done with regards to stem cells and glyconutrients, showing that the body may naturally synthesize its own stem cells when it has the proper glyco nutrients. In fact, glyconutrients have been clinically shown to be the ONLY supplement that has boosted the number of stem cells in the body. After Dr. Reg McDaniel and his science team had conducted some of their studies, Dr. Mcdaniel was asked to speak before the Colorado state senate in regards to his research with stem cells and our company’s glyconutrients.

Glyconutrients are not drugs. Since glyconutrients are natural and plant-sourced, these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Glyconutrients are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Glyconutrients should be taken as part of a healthy lifestyle and individual results may vary.

I hope that this article on stem cells and glyconutrients has been of interest to you. My name is Spencer Hunt and after what I have seen the glyconutrients do for my family, I would not go a day without my daily glyconutrients supplements. I researched and tried a lot of different supplements before finding results that I am happy with.

You can contact me through my site below if you would like to see the full stem-cell research study or to see which glyconutrients are the only ones in university studies.

armtwistedback asked:


Without any technical terms, or things like that, just plain and simple..What is stemcell research..what exactly do they do to the embryos? how to they get them? etc.