Politics
Tuesday January 6, 2004
Stem Cell Breakthrough: Yet Another Reason Human Embryo Source Unnecessary
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
LA JOLLA, CA, January 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, announced an alternative to embryonic stem cells yesterday. The company research team discovered a synthetic substance known as reversine that is able to trigger human adult cells to revert back to more primitive, undifferentiated stem cell-like cells. Scripps stem cells were created from adult muscle cells.
Stem cell research is a relatively new and emerging field in medicine. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells, which means they can be transformed into cells ordered to almost any bodily tissue. In theory, this may aid in the repair and regeneration of tissues previously thought irreparable; for instance, the brain in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, or heart tissue in heart attack sufferers, and so on.
Dr. Peter Hollands, an embryologist who now runs an umbilical cord blood bank in the Toronto area says that "common sense" dictates that resources be directed toward adult over embryonic stem cell research." "Embryonic stem cells have many legal, moral, ethical and religious objections before even the practicalities of obtaining the cells, growing them, storing them and not least transplanting them are addressed," Dr. Hollands told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview. "Adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells are readily available, have no objections associated with them and are tried and tested in clinical use. Umbilical cord blood stem cells, for example, have been used over 3000 times for 45 different diseases!"
Adult stem cells to date have been harvested from bone marrow - a source that is painful and difficult to extract. This new advance would mean an improved, simpler source of stem cells and as well, an end to embryonic cells and the killing necessary to create them.
See LifeSiteNews feature "Stem Cell News and Resources" at:
http://www.lifesite.net/features/stemcellembryo/
Read previous LifeSiteNews report of blood as an alternative stem cell source at:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/dec/031202.html
Read previous LifeSiteNews report of skin as an alternative stem cell source at:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/dec/031210.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Hoffman Loses Final Tally of NY-23 Race; Alleges ACORN Tampering and Fraud
- Abortion Activist Judge Hamilton Confirmed with Help of Ten Republican Senators
- CDC Reverses Gardasil Vaccine Requirement for Immigrants
- Germany Faces Economic Downturn with Plummeting Birth Rate and Aging Population
- CCHD in Archdiocese of Chicago Says it is Working to Fix Problems
- Rejection of Washington DC Marriage Referendum Challenged With Legal Suit
- Obama-Supporting Homosexual Activist to Out Sexually Involved Priests Unless they Support Gay 'Marriage
- Austrian Catholic Bishops Issue Bland Response to Govt's Homosexual Partnership Bill
- Interim Report on Catholic Sex-Abuse Says "Homosexual Identity" Not a Predictor of Sex Abuse
- Commentary on Nov 20 NewsBytes
- LSN NewsBytes - US Health Care Reform
- LSN NewsBytes - Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
- LSN NewsBytes - Life Issues, Religion, Swine Flu, US Politics, Sarah Palin, Miscellaneous
- LSN NewsBytes - Climate Change/Global Warming
- 59 Bishops Contributed Financially to Maine Bishop's Effort to Oppose Maine Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
- Pro-Abortion Lawmakers Shower Praise on Senate Bill's Phony Abortion Compromise
Most Read this Week
- Largest U.S. Homosexual Publisher Shuts Down, Closing Major Gay Newspapers
- EWTN's Arroyo Hosts Reform CCHD Reps Who Reveal Shocking Evidence Against USCCB Anti-Poverty Arm
- Italian Mayors Order Crufixes Put in Classrooms in Revolt against European Court Ruling
- Nat'l Organization for Marriage Responds to Miss California "Sex Tape" Scandal
- Obama Evades Questioning on Stupak Amendment in FOX Interview
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life
- EU Leaders to Choose President today in Secret "Soviet Style" Meetings
- Hoffman "Unconcedes" Battle for NY-23: Recount Provides Hope for "Miracle" Victory
- CCHD Responds to Reform Movement
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.