Joanne Wrote:
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>
> A cure for diabetes will be healing a human
> pancreas, not replacing it with a sheep pancreas
> that has many human cells, allowing an immune
> system to kill off the sheep (one hopes) and one
> hopes such a cell kill doesn't trigger some
> autoimmune disease. After all, will the cells be
> fully human or have a couple of sheep enzymes here
> and there?

A cure is stopping the mechanism of the disease in its tracks but not necessarily repairing already damaged organs and other tissues. What if the person has suffered such kidney damage that they are on dialysis? They're going to still need a transplant to live.

>
> There was an interesting debate on stem cell
> research on the Catholic TV channel that I watched
> a couple of months ago, and posted links here. I
> don't know if anyone else watched it. One point
> that was made was that there are different kinds
> of stem cell research, and most of us do not know
> about it. Cells from embryos are one kind, but
> adult stem cells can also be used. According to
> this show, it is only the adult stem cell work
> that is yielding good results. Embryonic cells
> are different from adult cells in that they are
> harder to control and more like cancer in some
> respects. The adult cells behave better for the
> researchers. Aside from morality issues, which
> the Catholic church has, there is this other
> practical difference which no one talks about. I
> had hoped that someone who knows more than I do
> about biology (looks around for Pete) had watched
> and could comment.

I am very sorry, Joanne, but that Catholic show seems to have deliberately misleading people. I don't think many are aware that embryonic stem cell research and treatment has been around for a long time. Yes, treatment. I believe it was about 7 years ago that a friend of mine, suffering from severe systemic lupus erythematosus was given an embryonic stem cell transplant. Her kidney function was down around 30% and she was on dialysis. She was fully expected to need a kidney transplant in just a few years. Instead, she was accepted for human trials of stem cell transplant. She spent over a month in the hospital, perhaps closer to two. They first stabilized her, then nuked her immune system to oblivion and performed the stem cell transplant. She lived in a bubble at the hospital for a while as her immune system built back up. She was already in better health by the time she was discharged. There were some surprises though that nobody really expected. Her kidney function increased. Apparently, the stem cell transplant triggered a regeneration in her kidneys. When it reached almost 70%, she was taken off dialysis. A year later, her kidney function was just about normal and she had no disease flare up at all. Two years later, the same. Three years later, still the same. Excellent health, no reduction in kidney function. At 5 years, she was declared "cured". By that time, she and I fell out of contact because hey, she was busy doing all the things that illness had prevented her from doing before. This was about 8 or 9 years ago.

Where are all the people who are cured today? Why am I still sick and getting worse, year by year? Heck, day by day, sometimes. Why are millions still sick? Why are lupus patients hanging out on dialysis still today when they don't have to be? I'm not keen on the idea of using embryonic stem cells for a cure. At least not for me. I'd feel much more ethically better about it if it were somehow my own cells that were used. However, it has to give you pause as to why so many are still suffering when about 8 years ago, some 60 people got a treatment that changed their lives.


Stephanie








In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.--Ralph Waldo Emerson