In light of the recent discussion on stem cell research (adult vs. embryonic), I thought this article might attract some interest. Some of the highlights are:
… adult stem cells have actually been used therapeutically in the United States since 1968. At one website you’ll find a list, far from comprehensive, of almost 80 therapies using them. This is treatment, not practice or theory. Amazingly, there are also more than 300 adult stem cell clinical trials.
“Embryonic stem cells are capable of becoming many different types of differentiated cells if stimulated to do so in vitro (outside the body).” However, “it is not known for certain that human embryonic stem cells in vitro can give rise to all the different cell types of the adult body.”
Although I am somewhat sympathetic to the ethical objections that some raise about embryonic stem cell research, I am glad that private and state funded work (in the USA) as well as international work with embryonic stem cells is alive and well…
Posted by aleph0 at 12:37 AM