Latest score . . . 74 - 0
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - Stem Cell Guru
A couple of news stories caught my eye over the weekend both of which highlight the current chasm between existing adult stem cell therapiess and ongoing research in embryonic stem cell therapies.
Firstly, a story in the Charlotte Sun Herald (USA) newspaper highlighted a fact that anyone interested in receiving stem cell therapy should bear in mind. According to the American National Institute of Health, adult stem cells are now being used to treat a total of 74 diseases. Whilst, despite the publicity, embryonic stem cells have yet to be used to treat any diseases in humans.
As companies such as Theravitae continue to make advances in the treatment of patients using adult stem cells, embyonic stem cell researchers are now left pondering the ongoing effects of the now discredited reseach undertaken by Prof. Hwang Woo-suk and his team. ABC News reported that although the promise of treatment using embryonic stem cells remains undimmed, basic research has been delayed by around 6 months as scientists re-check data:
"It does not dim the promise. It's just that we still have to do some basic things we thought we had done," said Sean Morrison, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Michigan.
However, according to Dr. Leonard Zon, of the Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, the discovery of embryonic stem-cell based therapies could be delayed by "as much as three years".
One has to wonder how many new adult stem cell therapies will already be in widespread use by the time the first patients are treated using therapies derived from embryonic stem cells.
Firstly, a story in the Charlotte Sun Herald (USA) newspaper highlighted a fact that anyone interested in receiving stem cell therapy should bear in mind. According to the American National Institute of Health, adult stem cells are now being used to treat a total of 74 diseases. Whilst, despite the publicity, embryonic stem cells have yet to be used to treat any diseases in humans.
As companies such as Theravitae continue to make advances in the treatment of patients using adult stem cells, embyonic stem cell researchers are now left pondering the ongoing effects of the now discredited reseach undertaken by Prof. Hwang Woo-suk and his team. ABC News reported that although the promise of treatment using embryonic stem cells remains undimmed, basic research has been delayed by around 6 months as scientists re-check data:
"It does not dim the promise. It's just that we still have to do some basic things we thought we had done," said Sean Morrison, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Michigan.
However, according to Dr. Leonard Zon, of the Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, the discovery of embryonic stem-cell based therapies could be delayed by "as much as three years".
One has to wonder how many new adult stem cell therapies will already be in widespread use by the time the first patients are treated using therapies derived from embryonic stem cells.
Site Feed
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home