by Michael Cook
Remember the slogan “ethics is playing catch-up with science”? It was one of the trusty clichés of science journalists in the heated debates five or six years ago over embryo research, “therapeutic cloning” and embryonic stem cells. Read more…
The Anchoress points to this news in the Baltimore Sun:
With the financial backing of the Vatican, University of Maryland researchers will lead an international group of scientists to study adult stem cells from the intestines with the hope of discovering treatments for diseases while bypassing the ethical debates that have embroiled such research for a decade.
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This is not the first time the Roman Catholic Church has funded stem cell research, said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of pro-life activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic dioceses in South Korea and Australia have supported adult stem cell research with grant money, he said.“The Vatican has been very interested in adult stem cell research for many years,” he said. “I think it’s a logical outgrowth of the church’s interest in this field and of promoting ethically sound and beneficial stem cell research.”
As one of the scientists points out, Read more…
Okay, so if no cures have been made from embryonic stem cells, why is its use still debated? If there has been success with adult stem cells, as this article states, the problem is solved! Win-Win! It’s so simple, people.
Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow -
The past decade spelled success in research with adult stem cells.
The one area in stem-cell research where there have been no successful treatments is research on human embryos, which involves killing a tiny human being. Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council tells OneNewsNow there has been progress in a related field, that of induced pluripotent stem cells that can be developed by taking, for example, skin cells and adding a few genes and reprogramming the cell so it looks and acts like an embryonic stem cell.
But the real success, says Prentice, has been with adult stem cells.
Hasn’t it already been proven that adult stem cells garner more effective curative properties than embryonic stem cells anyway? Why does no one pay any attention to the obvious, controversy-ending conclusion here?
Jim Brown – OneNewsNow -
An internationally recognized expert on stem cells and cloning says President Obama’s decision to lift restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem-cell research is wasting lives and taxpayer dollars when all resources should be going towards adult stem cells.
The Obama administration on Wednesday approved 13 new human embryonic stem-cell lines for taxpayer-funded experiments. The 13 lines are the first to be approved under an executive order from President Obama, and the National Institutes of Health says dozens more cell lines will be available soon. Read more…
Sheila Liaugminas, Mercatornet.com
People can agree on the fundamental principles of civil rights, respect for human dignity and the existence of – and need to protect - universal human rights. But the definition of what behaviors which groups of humans fall into the categories of protected rights is changing all the time. So rapidly, in fact, the lines have gone from blurred to indistinguishable in some areas. Like bioethics, for example.
That’s where the film Lines That Divide comes in to play. Read more…
Michael Cook, BioEdge
Disgraced South Korean stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk has escaped jail after being convicted of violating bioethics laws to obtain human eggs and of embezzling US$700,000 in government grants. Hwang became a national hero after he published articles in the journal Science in 2004 claiming that he had successfully cloned human embryos and developed stem cell lines. He was named “Supreme Scientist”; his feat was commemorated on a postage stamp; and the government even considered nominating him for a Nobel prize. However, in 2005 most of his work in human embryonic stem cells was exposed as a fraud. Further investigation showed that he had misused funds and pressured a female researcher into donating eggs for his experiments. Read more…
Michael Cook, BioEdge
So where is human embryonic stem cell research now, 4 years after Hwang Woo-suk was exposed as a fraud? News from the world’s best-funded institute for it suggests that its star is fading. On Wednesday the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded US$230 million for 14 research grants — but only 4 of them were for embryonic stem cells. The others were for adult stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. It was, according to the New York Times, “a tacit acknowledgment that the promise of human embryonic stem cells is still far in the future”. Read more…
Michael Cook
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will be collaborating with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) on stem cell research. CIRM already has agreements with six other countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, the state of Victoria in Australia, Spain and Japan. Read more…
Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow -
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill authorizing curriculum that teaches children embryonic stem-cell research heals — when in fact it doesn’t. Read more…
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