The Promise of Stem Cell Research

From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Fri Jul 20 2001 - 14:50:50 MDT


HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL RESEARCH GUIDELINES
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/01fsstemcell.html
Because pluripotent stem cells give rise to almost all of the cells types of
the body, such as muscle, nerve, heart, blood, they hold great promise for
both research and health care. This advance in human biology continues to
generate enthusiasm among scientists, patients suffering from a broad range of
diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and their families.
For example, further research using human pluripotent stem cells may help:

* Generate cells and tissue for transplantation. Pluripotent stem cells have
the potential to develop into specialized cells that could be used as
replacement cells and tissues to treat many diseases and conditions, including
Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease,
diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

* Improve our understanding of the complex events that occur during normal
human development and also help us understand what causes birth defects and
cancer.

* Change the way we develop drugs and test them for safety. Rather than
evaluating the safety of candidate drugs in an animal model, drugs might be
initially tested on a cells developed from pluripotent stem cells and only the
safest candidate drugs would advance to animal and then human testing.

Stay hungry,

--J. R.

Useless hypotheses, etc.:
 consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, CYC, and ELIZA

     Everything that can happen has already happened, not just once,
     but an infinite number of times, and will continue to do so forever.
     (Everything that can happen = more than anyone can imagine.)

We won't move into a better future until we debunk religiosity, the most
regressive force now operating in society.



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