AdultStemCell.com

Yvonne Perry asked:


The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Round One:

In 2001, President Bush released federal funds for research using stem cells leftover from in-vitro fertilization attempts prior to August 9, 2001.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Round Two:

Congresswoman Diane DeGette of Colorado is a staunch supporter of blastocyst (embryonic) stem cell research. Ms. DeGette is part of a coalition that passed H.R. 810 (the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act) in the House over the objections of GOP leaders, Bush and social conservatives.

H.R. 810 was then passed by Congress in 2006 with a vote of 63 to 37. That’s only 4 votes short of a 2/3 majority.

Supporters held their breath while they hoped and prayed that federal funds would be released for research on hundreds of new lines of in-vitro blastocyst stem cell to be used for research regardless of the date they were fertilized.

Influenced by the opinion of politicians and members of the religious community, President Bush made a decision to veto H.R. 810. This had a heartbreaking impact on members of our society who have physical and medical disabilities hoping for treatments derived from the research on these microscopic cells.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Round Three:

Congresswoman DeGette and Representative Mike Castle reintroduced the bill as “H.R. 3″ or S. 5 in 110th Congress in January 2007. The bill is set to go before the Senate soon, but President Bush has declared that he will veto this bill once again. However, if the bill passes the Senate with a 2/3 majority (67), Bush’s veto will fail.

As citizens, we must do something to help pass the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act in the Senate! We need the Stem Cell Research Enhancement to pass because:

Scientists need higher quality of stem cells to work with. Many of the “Bush-approved” lines have been contaminated with mouse feeder cells and cannot be used for research that might provide treatment for humans. The newer cell lines would not have animal feeders.

The technology used for harvesting blastocyst stem cells has improved greatly since August 2001. The bill, S. 5, will give researchers access to higher quality cultures than those fertilized prior to August 9, 2001. The newer cells renew more quickly for reproducibility and would include diversity in race and genetic types.

We need to turn the vote of just one Senator. We are one vote away, so please take a few minutes to send the sample letter found at http://stemcellbattles.com to your Senator.

A new book titled Right to Recover: Winning the Political and Religious Wars over Stem Cell Research in America is being published in the summer of 2007. Visit www.right2recover.com for more information about stem cell research.

Tracy Hildreth asked:


Organisations are always looking for opportunities to expand; we offer some key tips on the best places to look. Companies are often looking for opportunities to develop their business further. In the stem cell research area it is important that you have the right staff and the right backing in the region you are moving into. North East England has one of the highest concentrations of stem cells researchers in the UK.

The resources all ready located in the North East of England is already huge including North East England Stem Cell Institute, a joint venture between Newcastle University, Durham University and NHS (National Health Service), aims to be one of the top 10 stem cell research centres in the world. Life Knowledge Park, meanwhile, based at Newcastle’s International Centre for Life, is concentrating on research into degenerative diseases associated with ageing.

Stem cells have the potential to develop into any tissue type in the body and could therefore be used to develop a wide range of medical therapies.

Here are five reasons why you should invest in stem cell research in the North East;

1. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne’s Institute of Human Genetics is one of the largest in Europe and concentrates its research activity on both Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESC) and adult stem cells. All departments in the Faculty of Medical Science at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne were awarded either a 5 or 5* assessment as part of the UK Governments Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2001, ranking Newcastle third overall in the UK.

2. North East England offers world-class clinical expertise through the Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust (the Sunday Times Hospital of the Year 2004). ES cell derivation has been enabled by its successful IVF/Reproductive Medicine clinic.

3. Translational research is channelled through the Clinical Trials Unit and the £4.5m Newcastle Clinical Research Facility, that links medical research in the University of Newcastle to the clinical excellence of the regional NHS Trust making it the ideal place for stem cell research investment and expertise.

4. There is strong regional academic and clinical activity around transplantation, and stem cell tolerance is assessed by Newcastle’s Applied Immunology Group.

5.Technical support facilities at NESCI includes £10 million investment into two new GMP grade laboratories to produce stem cells of all types to clinical grade and The International Centre for Life (ICFL), based in Newcastle, is the UK’s first biotechnology village. It is home to the £10m Life Knowledge Park, one of only six UK genetics parks, which focuses on degenerative diseases.

Expertise and support organisations place North East England in a unique position to support companies in the commercialisation of research and getting new products to market through stem cell investment opportunities.

Jerry Steele asked:


President Bush issued a veto of the stem cell research bill last week and Theravitae founder, Don Margolis couldn’t be happier. “I disagree with him on many things, but I have to say he made the right decision this time.” Don stated.

The House and Congress both passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, a bill that would have appropriated millions of dollars of taxpayer money to embryonic stem cell research. However, President Bush vetoed it thus continuing his policy of not budging when it comes to embryonic stem cells. Bush vetoed a similar bill supporting embryonic stem cell research last July.

“Why don’t they come up with a bill supporting adult stem cell research?” Margolis asks. Margolis is an expert on this subject. In 2003, Margolis started an adult stem cell company in Thailand with his own money. To date, his company, Theravitae has treated over 200 patients suffering from heart disease with their own adult stem cells.

Margolis keeps repeating his mantra “I just want to be shown one example where embryonic stem cells have helped somebody, just one. And if you can’t show me a human, at least show me one positive result.” Margolis states nobody has been able to present any affirmative results yet. “I spend an hour a day reading the latest stem cell research….Nada.” he says.

Margolis goes on to say there is no state or federal ban on embryonic stem cell research. “If Bill Gates wants to throw away 5 billion on embryonic stem cell research in his home state of Washington, he can.” Don exclaims. Margolis thinks the reason embryonic stem cell researchers need money from the U.S. taxpayer is they aren’t getting it from private investors. Margolis invested $3 million of his own money into Theravitae. “I saw that adult stem cells do work and I staked my life’s savings on it. Don’t you think if embryonic stem cells showed any promise, an entrepreneur would take the risk?”

Margolis thinks that the embryonic stem cell lobby is so powerful that many people don’t know the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. He says “My patients know the difference and that is what upsets me, more money should be spent on what is helping people now (adult stem cells), not something that may or may not work in 50 years like the embryonic stem cells.”

Mumtaz Pachisa asked:


While President Obama recently lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research imposed by President Bush eight years ago, some people continue to oppose this move and call it unethical. So, while the scientific community is thrilled by the news and says the research will lead to medical breakthroughs, some communities consider the research as a “slippery slope”. But, what exactly are stem cells and why are they so important as to generate hot debates among all sorts of circles – political, social, religious, and what not? Here’s a look at some of those details.

The science behind stem cells

What sets stem cells (SCs) apart from other cells is their ability to turn into any other type of tissue in the body. A stem cell from the bone marrow, for example, can be transformed into a neuron or nerve cell in the brain.

Types of stem cells: Embryonic stem cells versus Adult stem cells

Broadly, there are two types of stem cells in humans – embryonic and non-embryonic. Embryonic stem cells (ESC), as the name suggests, are isolated from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo (4-5 days post fertilization, and consisting of 50-150 cells). On the other hand, non-embryonic stem cells which are also known as adult stem cells (ASCs) are found in adult tissues.

ESCs are pluripotent as opposed to ASCs that are multipotent. What this means is that ESCs can differentiate into any of the more than 220 cell types in the adult body (to be able to give rise to any mature cell type) while ASCs can only form a limited number of cell types (closely related family of cells).

Utility of stem cells

The importance of stem cell lies in the fact that they can be converted into any type of other cells or tissues in the body – neurons, pancreatic tissue, heart muscle cells, etc.

So, for example, stem cells harvested from your bone marrow can possibly be used to repair the damage in your heart muscle caused during a heart attack, or to correct blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia (anaemia) through transfusions of stem cells.

SC therapy is believed to have the potential to dramatically change the treatment of human disease. Embryonic stem (ES) cell therapies have been proposed for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease.

But, it should be noted at this point that ESC therapies are not in use yet. They are still only in the stage where medical researchers are testing them on animals.

On the other hand, ASCs have been successfully used to treat leukemia (leukaemia) and related bone/blood cancers utilizing bone marrow transplants.

The controversy

The controversy behind SC research pertains only to human ESC research and not all stem cell research. What is controversial is the fact that the source of the research material, human embryos, is destroyed in the process of harvesting the SCs. Pro-life activists oppose the research arguing that a human embryo is a human life that is entitled to protection.

Another area of controversy is that ESC technologies are a slippery slope that may lead to reproductive cloning which may devalue human life.

The production of ASCs, on the other hand, does not require the destruction of an embryo and therefore, ASC research and therapy are not as controversial. Though, ASC treatment does carry a risk of rejection by the body’s immune system.

The present state of stem cell research

There are some countries that offer treatments using SCs (read about medical tourism) but in such therapies only ASCs derived from the patient’s body are used (autograft). When possible, autografts are preferred as they remove the risk of rejection by the recipient’s body.

There is promising research ongoing in the field of SCs to derive treatments for a wider variety of diseases including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), multiple sclerosis, lung disease, arthritis, organ failure, and muscle damage, amongst a number of other impairments and conditions.

The future

The ultimate question on the minds of many is – “Why can’t we simply use adult stem cells instead of harvesting embryonic stem cells?”

Theoretically, ESCs are considered better because they work as a biological blank slate and are the most versatile of all SCs whereas ASCs are sort of semi-specialized cells and are not as versatile as ESCs.

Though the field of ASCs is not marred by controversies, the problem with them is also that they are often present only in minute quantities, are difficult to isolate and purify, and their numbers may decrease with age, according to a primer by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

At this juncture, much remains unknown about the potential of ESCs. But, going by the success in the field of animal testing it may very well turn out that ESCs could provide solutions to many diseases in humans.

The answer to the potential benefits of ESC lies in research. To understand the benefits of embryonic stem cells or any type of stem cells for that matter, and to discover possible treatments in humans, various lines of research need to be pursued simultaneously.

Only research can prove if ASCs are better over ESCs for curing human diseases or vice versa. It may also emerge that ASCs offer good treatments for certain ailments, while ESCs are better for curing others.

Alan Joel asked:


Stem cells hit the limelight in November 1998, when researchers first reported that they had isolated human embryonic stem cells. These cells, isolated from embryos that were several days old, can theoretically be differentiated into any kind of cell in the human body, from blood cells to brain cells to muscle cells. This was big news on the scientific front since scientists hoped to use these cells to repair damaged cells and tissue in adult humans. Unfortunately this research breakthrough also created a host of stem cell research issues that are still being debated today.

So what’s the big fuss about these research issues? Most of the controversy centers on the fact that the embryonic stem cells come from embryos and scientists must destroy the embryos to harvest the stem cells. Many pro-life and religious groups argue that an embryo represents a human life and that embryonic stem cell work is equivalent to murdering human lives. There are currently several sources of embryos, including aborted fetuses and fertility clinics (which have thousands of unwanted frozen embryos). All of these sources are currently undergoing serious scrutiny from the government and various lobbying groups.

Other stem cell research issues include the following questions:

- Should we pursue stem cell research just because we can?
- How far should we take stem cell research?
- Who should regulate this kind of research and how?
- Who should pay for this kind of research (which is very expensive)?
- What role should the government play in stem cell research?

It will likely take the government and the various scientific researchers involved in this controversy quite a while to resolve these research issues. Luckily for you, the consumer, there are alternative ways you can benefit from stem cells without getting involved in all the fuss. Along with embryonic stem cell research, scientists have also been studying ways to boost stem cell production in adults. Each of our bodies makes its own stem cells to repair and rejuvenate damaged areas, so while we may not be able to use embryonic stem cells to improve our health we can use our own to become healthier.

The stem cells in our bodies produce over 30 types of growth factors and tissue chemicals. They also help recruit other local and systemic stem cells to focus on repairing damaged tissue. They are also active in immune modulation to promote or suppress T-cell function. In short, stems cells are pretty nifty tools to have and the more stem cells you have the healthier you are. Best of all, when you focus on boosting your own stem cells instead of using someone else’s, you don’t run into all those stem cell research issues.

So how can you boost the number and health of the stem cells your body produces on its own? Research has shown that certain ingredients found in nature do just that. These include green tea extract, wild blueberry, carnosine, blueberry extract, vitamin D, and blue-green algae. These ingredients give your stem cells to proper nutrition so that not only do they multiply but they can better protect and repair your body. But don’t worry, you don’t have to go around squeezing wild blueberries into your green tea to get these beneficial effects. Nutritional products now available on the market package all of these ingredients into a simple daily supplement so that stem cell nutrition is as easy as pie. Plus, there are no stem cell research issues related to taking these products!

Emma A Johnson asked:


Republican Mitt Romney’s has repeatedly flip flopped on some key issues. In doing so, he has only proved how easily he can let go of his principles in his bid for power. Or does it indicate that he simply does not have any principles to speak of?

For instance, in 1994, during his earlier, unsuccessful run for Massachusetts governor against Democrat Ted Kennedy, Romney projected himself as being committed to a pro-choice policy. Subsequently, in 2002, while running again for Massachusetts governor, Romney remained an ardent supporter of women’s right to choose. But later Romney changed his position. He now calls for doing away with the Roe v. Wade ruling that would allow individual states to define their own abortion policies.

Romney similarly reversed his reformist views with regard to gay rights. After declaring himself staunchly in support of equal rights for gays in 1994-a position he retained even in 2002-he suddenly changed his stance and declared marriage out of bounds for gay couples.

Another issue is federal funding for stem cell research. In 2005, Romney held a position that favored state sponsored embryonic stem cell research, saying, “I believe stem cell research is important for our state and for our nation.” However, he subsequently shifted to a more conservative stance, and opposed funding for research involving embryonic stem cells.

The ideal candidate for the post of president will be a leader who can take tough decisions. For this, he would need to have a strong internal value system. More importantly, he would need to have the mettle required to stand his ground. Such strong leadership is even more important today, when one considers the threats facing America. Romney may be a capable executive with the ability to get work done quickly. However, his compulsive flip flopping has proven that he lacks the moral fiber required to steer the nation during these difficult times.