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Neurologically Impaired Mice Improve After Receiving Human Fetal Stem Cells
Complete article: http://images.cell.com/images/edimages/news/press_releases/Goldman.pdf
Scientists (at the University of Rochester) report a dramatic success in what may be the first documented rescue of a congenital brain disorder by transplantation of human neural stem cells. The research, published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, may lead the way to new strategies for treating certain hereditary and perinatal neurological disorders
The neurological recovery and survival of the mice receiving transplants was in sharp contrast to the fate of their untreated controls, which uniformly died by five months,
Complete article: Cell Stem Cell -- Windrem et al.
Congenitally hypomyelinated shiverer mice fail to generate compact myelin and die by 1821 weeks of age. Using multifocal anterior and posterior fossa delivery of sorted fetal human glial progenitor cells into neonatal shiverer mice, we achieved whole neuraxis myelination of the engrafted hosts, which in a significant fraction of cases rescued this otherwise lethal phenotype. The transplanted mice exhibited greatly prolonged survival with progressive resolution of their neurological deficits
Most notably, the implanted animals exhibited a substantial recovery of normal neurological phenotype, such that a fraction were frankly rescued by perinatal transplantation, surviving well over a year until sacrificed for histology, which revealed a remyelinatedand essentially humanizedcentral white matter. The neurological recovery and sustained survival of these transplanted mice was in sharp contrast to the fate of their untreated controls, which uniformly died by 5 months of age. To our knowledge, these data represent the first outright rescue of a congenital hypomyelinating disorder by means of a stem or progenitor cell transplantation and indicate that neonatal glial progenitor cell transplantation may prove an effective means of treating disorders of hereditary and perinatal hypomyelination.
Stem Cells 'Could Have Helped Lorenzo Odone'
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 5:01pm BST 04/06/2008
Complete article: Stem cells 'could have helped Lorenzo Odone' - Telegraph
Evidence that brain injections of stem cells could help to treat cerebral palsy and many other severe childhood neurological diseases [is] published today.
Just last week, Lorenzo Odone, whose battle with one such disease, adrenoleukodystrophy, was featured in the film Lorenzo's Oil, died and there is no effective treatment for any of these conditions.
Now preparations are under way for human trials of stem cells, after a team found that they can dramatically improve the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to these childhood diseases, many of which are fatal.
In the journal Cell Stem Cell, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Centre, New York, reports how they injected approximately 300,000 human stem cells into the brain of each mouse, choosing five particular spots because of their ability to serve as "launch pads" for stem cells to migrate and colonize the entire brain and spinal cord.
With a one-time injection of stem cells just after birth, the scientists were able to repair defective wiring throughout the brain and spinal cord - the entire central nervous system - of mutant "shiverer mice," so called because of the way they shake and wobble. The work marks an important step toward the day when stem cells become an option for the treatment of neurological diseases in people.
The team used a type of fetal human cell - glial stem cell - to treat a condition that normally claims their lives within about 20 weeks of birth, after a lifetime of seizures and other serious consequences.
While most of the 26 mice that received transplants still died, a group of six lived far beyond their usual lifespan, and four appeared to be completely cured - a first for shiverer mice. "We kept expecting them to die. Not only did they not die, but they improved day by day," says the head of the team, Prof Steven Goldman
The scientists plan to gather more evidence before trying the approach in sick children. "It's extremely exciting to think about not only treating but actually curing a disease, particularly an awful disease that affects children," says Prof Goldman.
"Unfortunately, right now, we can do little more for many of these conditions besides tell parents to prepare for their kids to die."
Thousands of children with rare, fatal disorders known as pediatric leukodystrophies share a central problem with the shiverer mice: their brain cells lack sufficient myelin, a vital fatty coating that wraps around cells in the brain like insulation around an electrical wire.
Now imagine how much good could be done if the rabid religious right would stop getting in the way of science.
Now imagine how much good could be done if the rabid religious right would stop getting in the way of science.
That's about it. Imagine. Because THAT's all you got. It amazes me you can comtinue to slur this mythical rabid religious right when all you in fact want to do in superimpose YOUR morals, or in this case lack thereof, on others.
You remind me of quote from the original Frankenstein movie in 1931 "....first to destroy life, then recreate it." That's all you're about. Playing God. Deeming which human life is worthy of existence and which is not.
Imagine how many lives would be saved if not for those of you that attempt to dehumanize it by scientific definition in order to kill it for ceonvenience.
Because, of course, curing parkinsons, alzheimers and paralysis is the same thing as being insane.
And kiss my butt, You think only the psychos are moral? There are moral limits to research. Not doing any isn't it. And extremist religious viewpoints shouldn't be legistlated into government OR imposed on science.
Yes yes, we should continue to butcher unborn children because the mother does not want the inconvenience of carrying the child and label it "choice"
We should create a market for those aborted children as well. Right wing religious zealots my ass.
Because, of course, curing parkinsons, alzheimers and paralysis is the same thing as being insane.
And kiss my butt, You think only the psychos are moral? There are moral limits to research. Not doing any isn't it. And extremist religious viewpoints shouldn't be legistlated into government OR imposed on science.
I disagree with the characterization, but wouldn't that be "choice?" What would you label it?
I thought markets work to perfection. Don't they breed efficiency and social advancement? You are nothing but a dirty socialist.
Because of course there is NO evidence that embryonic stem cell research is going to lead to curing ANY of those things.
No, I don't think only the psycho's are moral. I'm saying YOU are hypocrite on this topic when you accuse others of being "rabid" and "psycho" while you've got foam dripping off your own damned lips every time the topic comes up.
I'm saying you are hypocrite because your hate speech against the religious right is no less what you claim theirs is.
I'm saying you're a hypocrite because you bitch they're imposing their morality on you when that is EXACTLY what you want to do to everyone else.
Your moral viewpoints, whether you consider them religious or not, should carry no more weight than any other persons, nor should they legislated any more than anyone else's, no matter how great, IN YOUR OPINION, is the cause.
I disagree that Jillian's position is pushing her morals on anyone.
Take two cases.
1. Abortion. Pro-choice advocates understand that this is an issue of great moral complexity and disagreement. Being pro-choice isn't pushing your moral views on anyone. It is leaving the field open so that people can decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and act accordingly.
2. Stem Cell Research. Advocating stem cell research (using human fetus tissue) is a position that seeks to further medical advancement. If a particular person finds it immoral, they can refuse to utilize the medicines that might develop as a result, or can donate money only to research that doesn't utilize these techniques. If a researcher finds it immoral, they can refuse to utilize these tissues.
I disagree that these are instances of forcing anyone to adopt your moral stances. Nothing is being forced upon anyone. No one's freedom of action or inaction is hindered.
Absolutely ignorant. The murder of unborn children is bad enough, but to then CREATE a market to encourage that murder for the sake of "saving" others is just sick.
We can solve part of the worlds food shortage by killing off all the people we believe are worthless as well. I bet we could do lots of research on the murdered older generation killed in such a manner and discover all kind of cures for Alzeihmers and other old age diseases.
Why stop at the unborn and the old? All those worthless incompetents could be killed and we could find cures for some of the "birth defects" that we will get rid of with elective abortion anyway.
Lets grow clones for spare parts while we are at it. The list of medical miracles is endless if we just write off the right people.
That is what I am saying. There are so many opportunities yet unexplored. Let the markets work it out.
On the serious side, your slippery slope argument is stupid, as most slippery slope arguments are (although kudos to you, I find this one more stupid than most).
The need for embryonic stem cells is unlikely to lead to a dramatic (what I really mean is any) jump in the number of abortions. If you really believe that it would, you are a bigger ass than I have given you credit for. For one thing, this is not where embryonic stem cells generally come from. They generally come from left-over embryos not utilized by mothers seeking fertility help, and are kept frozen (in all likelihood never to be used) at fertility clinics until eventually destroyed anyway. For another thing, the demand would never be great enough to generate a profit incentive in light of already ample supply.
Sure thing.
