As regenerative medical researchers grow increasingly imaginative, we hear less and less about embryonic stem cell research, and indeed, the meme that it is the “only hope” for suffering patients is now patently absurd. Now, scientists have apparently figured out a way to turn one kind of heart cell into another–sort of adult stem cell therapy without removing the cells first. From the story:
In as little as five years, researchers hope to be able to coax the heart into regenerating itself, repairing the damage caused by cardiac arrests and old age. The revolutionary treatment could be possible after scientists discovered a technique for turning ordinary connective tissue into muscle cells inside the heart. It works in a similar way to stem cells but instead of the new cells being grown outside the body and then injected back in, the technique simply makes the cells switch at the point where they are needed.
Of course, the technique will have to be tested in animals before people–a necessary safeguard–but imagine healing heart attack damage with one’s own body cells. Good ethics does indeed lead to good science.
August 5th, 2010 | 8:33 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys and Stand In The Gap, Wesley J. Smith. Wesley J. Smith said: “In the Body” Cell Reprogramming Hope for Treatment of Heart Disease » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog http://shar.es/0akxL [...]
August 7th, 2010 | 1:52 pm
[...] “In the Body” Cell Reprogramming Hope for Treatment of Heart DiseaseFirst Things (blog)Of course, the technique will have to be tested in animals before people–a necessary safeguard–but imagine healing heart attack damage with one's own body …Breakthrough Studies: Regenerative Medicine to Repair Broken HeartsAOL NewsBuilding New Heart CellsIvanhoeA built-in source for new heart cellsEurekAlert (press release)ChattahBox -Discover Magazine (blog) -Reutersall 208 news articles » [...]
August 17th, 2010 | 1:58 pm
Wesley, you brought this up as far back as in 2008 too. http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2008/08/27/stunning-adult-stem-cell-success/
I remember getting to talk with Senator Sam Brownback about it for a few minutes when he was in Reno stumping for McCain. He was pretty excited about it.
Science Daily had something on it regarding brain cells back then too. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630093621.htm
Adult Stem Cells Reprogrammed In Their Natural Environment.
ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place in the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead.
The discovery not only attests to the versatility of neural stem cells but also opens up new directions for the treatment of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and epilepsy that not only affect neuronal cells but also disrupt the functioning of glial support cells…
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