No success with embryonic stem cells? Need to refute for LTTE

[NewJeffCT]

A LTTE in my local paper said that we shouldn't do any research on stem cells since nothing has been produced from them in 20+ years of research.

My initial tack was to say that perhaps we should criticize the soldiers in the American Revolution & the War of 1812 for not using airplanes, after all it took tens of thousands of years of human civilization to put mankind on airplanes.

But, I'd also like some support to refute that NOTHING of value has come of stem cell research. Thanks!

Here is the letter:
>>>U.S. Sen. Bill Frist just showed how strong his spine is when he chose to ignore the facts and endorse embryonic stem cell research .

When are the media and liberal politicians going to admit to the truth about embryonic stem cell research? After 20-plus years, this research has yet to result in any treatment. It has so far been a complete failure. How then can anyone claim that it has the potential to treat disease?

The simple fact is that adult and umbilical cord stem cells are being used to treat more than 50 diseases.

It may not be politically popular to say this, but embryonic stem cell research is totally immoral (killing human embryos on the speculation that it might benefit others) and a complete waste of money. Where is the fruit of this work? The only ones benefiting from this research are the researchers trying to preserve their jobs.

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/letters/hc-lets0803.artaug03,0,226801.story?page=2&coll=hc-headlines-letters

[bluethruandthru]

1. Not 20 years!

First of all tell the idiot that there has not been 20 plus years of embryonic stem cell research. Embryonic stem cells were not even isolated until 1998 by University of Wisconsin researcher James Thomson!

[NewJeffCT]

5. thanks!

good point to start with...

[bluethruandthru]

2. ...and another thing!

It took nearly 20 years from the time penicillin was "discovered" until it was widely used to treat infection. Wonder what would have happened if after 7 years of research some idiot wrote a LTTE and said we should give up on penicillin because it hadn't resulted in any treatment?

[Sweet Freedom]

3. Check out hospital websites

For example, if you go here:
http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/news.html

click on the search button (on the left) and enter "stem cell", you'll get more than 70 matches.

Also, try www.tmc.edu. That's the website for the Texas Medical Center where tons of research is conducted. Check out the sites for MD Anderson, Texas Children's, Baylor and The University of Texas.

Hope this helps.

[Ilsa]

8. Make sure your results differentiate between embryonic and

adult or umbilical.

[Sweet Freedom]

4. Also check out

hospital press releases.

From the THI site I referenced above:

(snip)
Clinical Trial for Stem Cell Therapy Reaches Major Milestone

HOUSTON (July 21, 2005) Physicians of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital today announced a significant new finding in their clinical trial of adult stem cells to treat patients with severe heart failure. The doctors initiated a study four years ago with colleagues at the Pro-Cardiaco Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The research begun in Brazil has allowed the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's to have the first FDA-approved clinical trial of adult stem cells — taken from the patient's own bone marrow — for the treatment of severe heart failure.

"We have demonstrated for the first time in a human heart the effects of bone marrow stem cell therapy. We analyzed the heart of a patient who underwent stem cell treatment in the study we conducted in Brazil and subsequently died of unrelated causes. We found an increase in the number of blood vessels in the area we injected with stem cells, as well as the presence of substances that indicate cellular regeneration," said Emerson Perin, M.D. Ph.D., director of New Interventional Cardiovascular Technology and medical director of the Stem Cell Center at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's.

Following the stem cell treatment, the patient had marked improvement in the function of the heart and the blood flow to the heart as evidenced by imaging procedures physicians conducted in follow-up examinations.

"We believe this will be the first time in the world that we've had the opportunity to examine a human heart following treatment for severe heart failure in which stem cells taken from a patient's own bone marrow are injected directly into injured but still viable portions of the heart muscle. We believe this is an unequivocal demonstration of marked improvement in blood flow," said James T. Willerson, M.D., president-elect and medical director of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's. Dr. Willerson is also the president of The University of Texas Health Science Center – Houston.

(more) http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/stemcell7-05.html


James Willerson was supposed to have been on ABC News last night talking about the importance of SC research. Maybe check their site for a transcript.

[NewJeffCT]

6. thanks

I'll have to wait until I get home tonight, but will do...

[Ilsa]

9. This is adult stem cells used...eom

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Something To Look Into

Northwestern hospital has been doing research on using stem cell replacement in MS patients. There was an article some time back in the Chicago Tribune about it. Because the risk of death from the treatment is far higher than the risk of dying due to MS, people like me aren't eligible. (Do no harm!) But, the article i read was describing a couple of folks who went from wheelchairs to being able to walk and go back to work.

Don't remember any more details. But, Northwestern Medical should have something in their archives.
The Professor

[NewJeffCT]

10. thanks

I am specifically looking for embryonic stem cells, not adult or umbilical ones.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Yeah, I Know

I'm not sure where the stem cells came from the example i gave. It was probably at least a year ago, but i'm really attuned to MS news. So, i remember the article, but not all the details.
The Professor

[Beaverhausen]

12. from Michael J. Fox's website

http://www.michaeljfox.org/pdf/20050713_stemcellrally.pdf

This is from his speech to Congress on July 13th - It's a PDF file- here is one part that should help you.

"I know that in the context of Parkinson’s disease, embryonic stem cell technology promises advances that are not available in any other way. Our Foundation has funded about $10 million in stem cell work over the past 4 years and actually compared various types of stem cells for Parkinson’s disease.

The results are unequivocal: at this point, only embryonic stem cells can produce enough of the neurons needed for cell replacement—by a factor of millions.

When it comes to PD, if science were a footrace, embryonic stem cells would be miles ahead. And the same is true in spinal cord injury, diabetes, and any number of other diseases.

I also know that there’s broad support from the American public. Just take a look at the polls, which show a majority of Americans are in favor, including those who consider themselves pro-life. In fact, many have found inspiration from Senator Hatch’s own writings on how he came to view this research as pro-life.

I just heard that 68 religious leaders are supporting this bill. They have come to the same conclusion as a majority of Americans—loosening Federal restrictions through HR 810 is not only pro-life, it is pro-living."

[NewJeffCT]

13. great post, thanks

good stuff in there!