Friday, December 29, 2006

Embryonic StemCells--Not Ready for Prime Time

A useful reminder from a neurobiologist/anatomy Associate Prof, from First Things thru Amy:

The assertion that embryonic stem cells in the laboratory can be induced to form all the cells comprising the mature human body has been repeated so often that it seems incontrovertibly true. What is missing from this assertion remains the simple fact that there is essentially no scientific evidence supporting it.

...But the test of whether an embryonic stem cell–derived brain cell, for example, is indeed a normal adult brain cell is to put it into the brain of an adult animal and determine whether it survives and contributes to normal brain function. In addition, if laboratory-generated cells are to be therapeutically useful for the treatment of human disease and injury, they must be shown to have therapeutic value in adult animals: It is not sufficient that embryonic stem cell–derived cells merely survive in adults; they must also be able to repair the underlying disease or injury. It is precisely this kind of test that embryonic stem cell–derived tissues have proved unable to pass.

So...DarthDoyle...how many babies must be killed in order to "find" the cure?

1 comment:

Billiam said...

Dad, you know as do I, as many as it takes. It matters not the cost. The end is what is important, how we get there, and what we have to do, matters not.
I believe the Marxists felt the same way. The results will be the same as well.