Stem cells - Avoiding the ethical question altogether

[Seanirl]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050324/hl_nm/health_australia_stemcell_dc_1

Sounds good.

 

[classical_hero]

Could you post the story here because the page does not load for me.

 

[Seanirl]

Yeah it isn't working... hold on I'll try to fix it.

EDIT: It's working now.

 

[classical_hero]

Yeah it isn't working... hold on I'll try to fix it.

EDIT: It's working now.

It works now too.

 

[classical_hero]

I have always been a strong supporter of Adult stem cell research because it is much less controversial and much easier to get access to. Also we have had much more sucess with them. It took Australia to show they way.

 

[classical_hero]

Here is the article.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - With the help of the Catholic Church, Australian researchers have successfully grown adult stem cells harvested from the human nose, avoiding the ethical and legal problems associated with embryonic stem cells.

Australia bans creating human embryos to harvest stem cells but scientists may use embryos left over from IVF (in-vitro fertility) treatment. Stems cells harvested through other means, such as from the nose, is legal.

Head researcher Alan Mackay-Sim of Griffith University said the adult stem cells taken from inside the nose could potentially be used to grow nerve, heart, liver, kidney and muscle cells.

"We have got an adult stem cell which is accessible in everybody and we can grow lots of these cells and turn them into many other cell types," Mackay-Sim told Reuters.

"Apart from neural and brain cells, they look like they can turn into blood cells, heart muscle and to skeletal muscle," he said in an interview.

Scientists believe stem cell research could eventually lead to cures for a range of serious ailments, including Parkinson's disease (news - web sites) and spinal cord injuries.

The Catholic Church, which views the use of embryonic stem cells as a form of destruction of human life, helped fund the research through a A$50,000 ($39,500) grant, which was approved by Sydney's Catholic Archbishop George Pell.

"The significance of this is manifold. This represents a significant advance and I think this will bring a great blessing for people," Pell told Reuters on Thursday.

Australian Health Minister Tony Abbott said the new nose adult stem cells avert the ethical problems surrounding embryonic stem cell research.

"It seems at least on the basis of this research that we may well be able to obtain multi-potent stem cells from adults and that we don't need to use embyros to obtain these important cells," Abbott told reporters.

 

[Dida]

There is no ethical problem associated with stem cell research. The research is only a problem with some nutcases, who hates all form of scientific advance, because one more advance in science means one less domain for their so call 'Gawd'.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

I have always been a strong supporter of Adult stem cell research because it is much less controversial and much easier to get access to. Also we have had much more sucess with them. It took Australia to show they way.

The problem is symilar. Wether they come from an embryo or an adult they're still pretty much identical. From an extreme pro-life perspective you could argue that any harvasting of stem cells (from a foetus or from an adult) means that a potential life has been created and should be defended just like a real individual.

 

[Zwelgje]

From the nose...
How many stemcells can you get from the nose for godsake!
There are much more interesting places to get stemcells from, at my department people are working on getting stem cells from fat. Now that's a major source of stemcells in an increasing number of individuals!

 

[Zwelgje]

The problem is symilar. Wether they come from an embryo or an adult they're still pretty much identical. From an extreme pro-life perspective you could argue that any harvasting of stem cells (from a foetus or from an adult) means that a potential life has been created and should be defended just like a real individual.

You can't create a new individual from stemcells you get from an adult as these stemcells are multipotent and not totipotent stemcells. So there really shouldn't be an ethical issue. Unless some misinformed god-crazy idiot manages to stirr the non-thinking religious masses again.

 

[Yom]

Sweet! The only question I have is, how limited is its ability to differentiate into different cells? The article says that it can turn into "neural[,]... brain cells, ... blood cells, heart muscle and to skeletal muscle," but that leaves out smooth muscle and some major organs.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

@Zwelgje
Thanks for the clarification, searched wiki and cleared those misconceptions...

 

[Akka]

That's a nice news.

If we could get the advantage of stem-cells research without the dreadful ethical problems, it would be a big step forward.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

There is no ethical problem associated with stem cell research. The research is only a problem with some nutcases, who hates all form of scientific advance, because one more advance in science means one less domain for their so call 'Gawd'.

Your assertion is wrong. While I disagree with them on embryonic stem cell research, there are many who believe that human life begins when the embryo is created and oppose it (embryonic stem cell research) based upon that. Labling them as 'nutcases' is disingenuous.