Adult Stem Cell Research: Making a Difference Today from Rosenberg Communications, Inc. The Gerard Health Foundation has produced a powerful video on adult stem cell research, showing its advantages over embryonic stem cell research. The public domain video offers useful, yet often ignored, information about adult stem cell research. We believe the information you'll see in the video is essential to making an informed judgment about the debate over this research. This film is consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, which state that the ablation of the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst, which critically and irremediably damages the human embryo, curtailing its development, is a gravely immoral act and consequently is gravely illicit. No end believed to be good, such as the use of stem cells for the preparation of other differentiated cells to be used in what look to be promising therapeutic procedures, can justify an intervention of this kind. A good end does not make right an action which in itself is wrong. An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), the origin of adult stem cells in mature tissues is unknown. Research on adult stem cells has recently generated a great deal of excitement. Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led scientists to ask whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult blood forming stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions. If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common diseases. The history of research on adult stem cells began about 40 years ago. In the 1960s, researchers discovered that the bone marrow contains at least two kinds of stem cells. One population, called hematopoietic stem cells, forms all the types of blood cells in the body. A second population, called bone marrow stromal cells, was discovered a few years later. Stromal cells are a mixed cell population that generates bone, cartilage, fat, and fibrous connective tissue. Also in the 1960s, scientists who were studying rats discovered two regions of the brain that contained dividing cells, which become nerve cells. Despite these reports, most scientists believed that new nerve cells could not be generated in the adult brain. It was not until the 1990s that scientists agreed that the adult brain does contain stem cells that are able to generate the brain's three major cell types—astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, which are non-neuronal cells, and neurons, or nerve cells. Public domain film from:
From http://h1.ripway.com/rosenbergComm/. (public domain).
Channel: News & Politics Uploaded: July 7, 2007 at 4:23 pm Author:rosaryfilms
What does religion, may I ask, have to do with this? If you're against parents beating their born children, then you should also oppose parents having their unborn children killed, as we know that, scientifically, human embryos are human beings.
because the Catholic church is against abortions and destruction of an embryo. The Church is also against condoms, and even hybrid cells composed by animal's embroys and human genetic code. An embryo has 90% to become a life but it is not totally sure. For me the life of an human starts at the 4 months of pregancy, before that we are not different from a piece of iron.
The Catholic Church is also against throwing your four-year-old daughter out of a moving helicopter. Should we be for something simply because the Catholic Church opposes it?
If you really equate a young embryonic human being to a piece of iron, then I know that you're not really a biologist.
your pareer dosent affect me. millions of biologist like me share the same opinion. Do reserach and you ll see it. Different opinions make people grow and reflect, that is why i am talking to you. But since you try to offend me, this is the end of the conversation. Mine was a criticism towards the Church. In your ethics is more right that someone dies of cancer or stay on a wheel chair or has daily pian rather then destroying a ball of cells for cure diseases. End of the conversation.
"Pareer"? Max, I apparently understand this issue much more than you do, having researched it for seven or eight years. I can also distinguish animal life -- including embryonic human animal life -- from a mineral. You're guilty of bringing religion into a debate when losing the debate on science. You don't need to be Catholic or even believe in God at all to understand that human embryos are human beings, just as you and I are. Nice job changing the subject, Max.
aquaamant(Wednesday 25th of June 2008 12:03:06 AM)
With embryonic stem cell research for medicine at such infant stage, pushing blindly toward the research without considering its ethical implication with other groups will only lead to greater social division. Because whether you like it or not, not all people who determine whether or not a cure can be used universally are scietists. There are ethicist, lawyers, politicians and sometimes even religious official, whose opinions are weighed as much as the opinions of the scientists.
World is overpopulated so throwing away the human embryo (which will turn to life given the chance) is justified. If that's not genocide I don't know what to call that.
aquaamant(Wednesday 25th of June 2008 12:05:38 AM)
This should've been the reply to Max10wonderboy's quote... Don't know why this ended up here.. x) "Many of them are frozen and some catholic government prefered to thorw them in the trash rather to find cures. The world is also overpopulate."
Up until now, the only type of stem cell that had any medicinal succes has been from pluripotent progeny cells, such as marrow cells. The focus of stem cell research has been shifted in the past 10 years from studying its behavior to reverse programming the DNA for converting its potency for medicinal usage. But the fact of a matter is, we are NOWHERE close to using embryonic stem cell in any practical way.
ratinahats(Saturday 21st of June 2008 04:35:12 PM)
Maybe you need to research the prospects in other countries that have no laws against their use.
