Comments on: Reporter's Notes: Stem Cells and Horses http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/06/19/reporters-notes-stem-cells-and-horses/ Explore science, nature and environment stories from Northern California and beyond with KQED’s multimedia series Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:38:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mikey http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/06/19/reporters-notes-stem-cells-and-horses/#comment-12007 Mikey Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:17:28 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=2834#comment-12007 Nice discussion... especially Barry's explanation about <a href="http://www.thetech.org/genetics/news.php?id=109" rel="nofollow">making stem cells</a>.. Nice discussion… especially Barry's explanation about making stem cells..

]]> By: Barry Starr http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/06/19/reporters-notes-stem-cells-and-horses/#comment-12006 Barry Starr Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:24:34 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=2834#comment-12006 The argument between adult and embryonic stem cells may become moot in the near future anyway. A huge amount of progress has been made in turning a patient's cells back into embryonic-like stem cells (called induced pluripotent or iPS stem cells). Now there would be no harvesting of embryos and no tissue rejection. <a href="http://www.thetech.org/genetics/news.php?id=109" rel="nofollow">Click here</a> for more details. The argument between adult and embryonic stem cells may become moot in the near future anyway. A huge amount of progress has been made in turning a patient's cells back into embryonic-like stem cells (called induced pluripotent or iPS stem cells). Now there would be no harvesting of embryos and no tissue rejection. Click here for more details.

]]> By: Anne Fairbairn http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/06/19/reporters-notes-stem-cells-and-horses/#comment-12005 Anne Fairbairn Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:07:37 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=2834#comment-12005 Thank you for airing this story! I appreciate the many things brought up, especially the distinction between adult stem cell therapy and embryonic stem cell therapy*. I would like to discuss a point that you brought up, something to the effect of "other than a few exceptions (bone marrow & skin grafts), this therapy has been denied to humans." (I'm not really quoting you, Amy, with these quotation marks, by the way.) Many human trials have actually yielded quite promising results. I also appreciated the mentioning that adult stem cell therapies have the huge benefit of lack of tissue rejection issues, since the stem cells are derived from the animal/human patient. To my knowledge (as a highly interested lay person), this has been a major problem in embryonic therapies (rejection, as well as tumor formation). Incidentally, umbilical cord blood is a wonderful source of non-embroyonic stem cells. I'm hoping that the collection of it becomes easier (can we hope for "routine"??); when I checked into it 7-8 years ago, someone had to deliver their baby in Oakland, or something like that (the procedure wasn't available in the Fremont area). If you, the Quest staff, and the listeners, would like to read more about these therapies, please access the following links. http://www.calright2life.org/StemCellResearch.pdf The "Archives" link to subsequent past issues of the newsletter will yield many more individual cases, but I've not the time to wade through them at the moment. A bit more information is on this link from California Right to Life's website: http://www.thecbc.org/redesigned/research_display.php?id=132 (Page down a bit for the question: "What about adult stem cells?") Thanks again! *I wince every time I, as a pro-lifer, hear that the pro-life community is against stem cell therapy, and not specifying "embroyonic". Thank you for airing this story! I appreciate the many things brought up, especially the distinction between adult stem cell therapy and embryonic stem cell therapy*.

I would like to discuss a point that you brought up, something to the effect of "other than a few exceptions (bone marrow & skin grafts), this therapy has been denied to humans." (I'm not really quoting you, Amy, with these quotation marks, by the way.)

Many human trials have actually yielded quite promising results.

I also appreciated the mentioning that adult stem cell therapies have the huge benefit of lack of tissue rejection issues, since the stem cells are derived from the animal/human patient. To my knowledge (as a highly interested lay person), this has been a major problem in embryonic therapies (rejection, as well as tumor formation).

Incidentally, umbilical cord blood is a wonderful source of non-embroyonic stem cells. I'm hoping that the collection of it becomes easier (can we hope for "routine"??); when I checked into it 7-8 years ago, someone had to deliver their baby in Oakland, or something like that (the procedure wasn't available in the Fremont area).

If you, the Quest staff, and the listeners, would like to read more about these therapies, please access the following links.

http://www.calright2life.org/StemCellResearch.pdf

The "Archives" link to subsequent past issues of the newsletter will yield many more individual cases, but I've not the time to wade through them at the moment.

A bit more information is on this link from California Right to Life's website:

http://www.thecbc.org/redesigned/research_display.php?id=132

(Page down a bit for the question: "What about adult stem cells?")

Thanks again!

*I wince every time I, as a pro-lifer, hear that the pro-life community is against stem cell therapy, and not specifying "embroyonic".

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