STEM CELLS - THE NEWS GETS BETTER AND BETTER!

by Dansk 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  LittleToe

  AbFab news!!!

  Little by little, step by step...
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  Dansk

  And now this! Great for science! Wonderful for the patient!!

  Diabetes 'blocked by stem cells'

  Pancreatic cells are lost in type 1 diabetes Brazilian and US scientists have used transfusions of patients' own stem cells to reverse type 1 diabetes. People with the condition are known as insulin-dependent, and require regular shots of the hormone. But 14 out of 15 young people newly diagnosed with the condition no longer needed injections - sometimes for years - following the stem cell treatment. However, experts warned the Journal of the American Medical Association study was preliminary and inconclusive. We would wish to avoid false hope based on the very preliminary nature of these results Dr Iain Frame Diabetes UK Q&A: Stem cells Type 1 diabetes is caused by the patient's own immune system destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The researchers, from the University of Sao Paulo, gave the patients powerful drugs to suppress their immune systems in an attempt to stop further destruction of pancreatic cells. This was followed by transfusions of stem cells taken from their own blood, in effect designed to restart the immune system. Some patients reacted more quickly to the treatment than others, and the length of the effect also varied. One patient was able to survive without insulin injections for 35 months, and four others for at least 21 months. Two patients who responded late did not have to inject themselves for one and five months. Mechanism unclear Previous studies have suggested stem cell therapy might be a promising approach for type 1 diabetes. STEM CELL TECHNOLOGY Key sources for stem cells are adult organs or embryonic cells Adult stem cells are identified and separated from other cells Embryonic stem cells are removed from 5-day-old embryos Cells are manipulated to stimulate them to take on a specific function Specialised cells may then be used to treat unhealthy areas BACK NEXT 1 of 5 Stem cells are immature cells which can become different types of adult tissue. It is thought that in this instance the stem cells may have generated new immune cells which do not target the pancreas, helping to safeguard what remaining insulin-producing cells the patient has left. However, it is also possible that the treatment may have led to the growth of new insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. A third possibility is that the treatment stimulated an as yet unknown mechanism which stopped existing beta cells being destroyed. The results do throw up the possibility that stem cell therapy could have a dramatic impact. 'Preliminary study' But the study was small, did not monitor the patients for very long and did not compare them with similar patients who were given alternative therapy or remained untreated. Dr Iain Frame, of the charity Diabetes UK, warned against raising people's hopes on the basis of a "very preliminary" study. "It is well known that there is often a honeymoon period of relative remission after the onset of Type 1 diabetes that complicates the interpretation of results such as the ones shown in this study. "All these issues need to be addressed through more research before there are any conclusive findings in this area." Dr Richard Burt, of Northwestern University, Chicago, who worked on the study, said: "I do not use the word cure, or the word breakthrough, but this is a step forward. "It is the first time in which a stem cell therapy has been used effectively in this disease." Previous research has suggested that stem cell therapy can benefit patients with other auto-immune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's. Of the 2.2 million people with diabetes in the UK, only around 300,000 have the type 1 disease. However, for unknown reasons, the number of British children under the age of five developing type 1 diabetes has risen five-fold in the last 20 years.
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  Dansk

  Thought I'd bring this one BTTT to tie in with this one: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/132092/1.ashx

  Ian
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  ICBehindtheCurtain

  This is great!!! thanks for posting it Dansk. Imagine how many Billions will be lost by the big pharmaceutical companies if stem cells solve these health issues for people, no more organ rejection drugs, diabetes drugs and all the organizations that exist around all the major diseases like Cancer, heart disease etc. that's the reason Bush and his cronies don't want stem cell research!

  IC
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  LtCmd.Lore

  Well I'm exited!!!

  Isn't science awesome? Right now I'm thinking that by the time I'm old and start falling apart, this type of treatment will be commonplace. And by that time they'll be working on something even more amazing! The future just keeps looking better and better.

  Lore
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  Dansk

  BBC news today:

  Key gene work scoops Nobel Prize

  Sir Martin used the technology to probe cystic fibrosis Two US scientists and their UK collaborator have been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their groundbreaking work in gene technology. Mario Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Briton Martin Evans developed a technique known as gene targeting. It enabled them to replicate human diseases in mice by introducing genetic changes into the animal's stem cells. The Nobel Committee said this had led to many new insights into conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Its impact on the understanding of gene function and its benefits to mankind will continue to increase over many years to come Nobel committee For instance, science has gained a greater understanding of how disease can strike otherwise healthy people. The technique has also helped to shed new light on the ageing process, and on how the embryo develops in the womb. It can be used to study almost every aspect of mammalian physiology. In its citation, the Nobel Committee praised the technique as "an immensely powerful technology" which was now being used in virtually all areas of biomedical research. "Gene targeting in mice has pervaded all fields of biomedicine," it said. "Its impact on the understanding of gene function and its benefits to mankind will continue to increase over many years to come." Gene knockout The technique is commonly described as gene "knockout". Professor Capecchi specialises in organ generation It enables scientists to silence specific genes, and monitor the effect, so that gene-by-gene they are able to build a picture of the development of disease. To date more than 10,000 mice genes - around half of the total - have been knocked out, with the rest confidently predicted to follow soon. As a result, more than 500 different mouse models of human disorders have been developed - including cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. The technology spun out of the discovery by Sir Martin of embryonic stem cells in mice. These cells form all tissues of the body and Sir Martin found that they could be removed and grown separately in the laboratory. All three scientists, who will share the prestigious $1.54 million award, have subsequently used gene targeting to make significant advances. This group's work has given hope to many thousands of people currently suffering from incurable genetic conditions Jo Tanner Coalition for Medical Progress Professor Capecchi, based at the University of Utah, has used the technology to uncover the role of genes involved in organ development, and the overall plan of the body. Sir Martin, of the University of Cardiff, has specialised on the inherited disease cystic fibrosis. Professor Smithies, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was born in the UK, but has since taken US citizenship. He has developed mouse models for common human diseases such as high blood pressure and thickened arteries. Profound effect Professor Stephen O'Rahilly, of the University of Cambridge, said: "The development of gene targeting technology in the mouse has had a profound influence on medical research. "Thanks to this technology we have a much better understanding of the function of specific genes in pathways in the whole organism and a greater ability to predict whether drugs acting on those pathways are likely to have beneficial effects in disease." Jo Tanner, of Coalition for Medical Progress, said: "If we are ever going to find cures for genetic conditions such as muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis, scientists will need to work on animal models, identifying the genetic defects responsible and correcting them in animals before trialling potential treatments in humans. "This group's work has given hope to many thousands of people currently suffering from incurable genetic conditions."
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  Dansk

  Skin transformed into stem cells

  Pluripotent cell created by Japanese researchers Human skin cells have been reprogrammed by two groups of scientists to mimic embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any tissue in the body. The breakthrough promises a plentiful new source of cells for use in research into new treatments for many diseases. Crucially, it could mean that such research is no longer dependent on using cells from human embryos, which has proved highly controversial. The US and Japanese studies feature in the journals Science and Cell. The induced cells do all the things embryonic stem cells do - its going to completely change the field Professor James Thomson University of Wisconsin-Madison Q&A: Creating stem cells 'An exciting advance' Until now only cells taken from embryos were thought to have an unlimited capacity to become any of the 220 types of cell in the human body - a so-called pluripotent state. Compare the two techniques for 'stem cell' creation But campaigners have objected to their use on the grounds that it is unethical to destroy embryos in the name of science. In the US only limited use of embryonic stem cells is allowed by scientists receiving public funding. The Japanese team used a chemical cocktail containing just four gene-controlling proteins to transform adult human fibroblasts - skin cells that are easy to obtain and grow in culture - into a pluripotent state. For once we have better science coinciding with better ethics Josephine Quintavalle Comment on Reproductive Ethics The cells created were similar, but not identical, to embryonic stem cells, and the researchers used them to produce brain and heart tissue. After 12 days in the laboratory clumps of cells grown to mimic heart muscle tissue started beating. The US team, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, achieved the same effect by using a slightly different combination of chemicals. They have created eight new stem cell lines for potential use in research. Cloning superceded Using skin cells should mean that treatments could be personalised for individual patients, minimising the risk of rejection. Although it is early days for this technique it may well prove to be every bit as significant as the first derivation of human embryonic stem cells nine years ago Dr Lyle Armstrong University of Newcastle Upon Tyne Not only does the new technique remove the need to create embryos in the lab, it is also more simple, and more precisely controlled than current cloning technology. Professor Ian Wilmut, of the University of Edinburgh, who led the team which created Dolly the sheep in 1996, has said it represents a significant advance. However, the researchers have warned more work is needed to refine the process, and ensure its safety. At present both techniques rely on viruses to introduce new material into the cells, which carries a potential risk. Researcher Professor James Thomson said: "The induced cells do all the things embryonic stem cells do. "It's going to completely change the field." Dr Shinya Yamanaka, of Kyoto University, a member of the Japanese research team, said: "These cells should be extremely useful in understanding disease mechanisms and screening effective and safe drugs." Positive reaction Professor Azim Surani, of the University of Cambridge, said the research should allow scientists to create a large range of human stem cell types, which could prove invaluable in studying disease. He said: "It is relatively easy to grow an entire plant from a small cutting, something that seems inconceivable in humans. "Yet this study brings us tantalisingly close to using skin cells to grow many different types of human tissues. Dr Lyle Armstrong, of the International Centre For Life at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, called the studies a "major development". He said: "Although it is early days for this technique it may well prove to be every bit as significant as the first derivation of human embryonic stem cells nine years ago." Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, of the Medical Research Council's National Institute For Medical Research, said the work was exciting, but work was required to end the reliance on viruses, and to tease out why two different techniques produced similar results. Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: "News that embryonic stem cells can be created successfully from human cells without cloning, without using human embryos or human eggs, or without getting involved in the creation of animal-human embryos, is most warmly welcomed. "We congratulate these world-class scientists who have had the courage to state their change of tack so cogently. "For once we have better science coinciding with better ethics." TECHNIQUES FOR MAKING 'STEM CELLS' Therapeutic cloning produces stem cells which can develop into different types of body cell, making them ideal for research into treatment of disease. But this technology involves the creation and destruction of embryos, which is ethically controversial. The stem cells created also run the risk of being rejected by the body. The new technology, nuclear reprogramming, creates stem-like cells from the patient's own cells, avoiding both these problems.
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  Dansk

  Full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7101834.stm

  This really is TERRIFIC news!

  Ian
• 

  Gopher

  Thanks for bringing this update Ian. It is amazing what scientists are doing now.

  Stem cell research is a brilliant candle of hope for the future.

  Religionists had objected to the use of embryos in such research and therapy. Now it appears that scientists have brilliantly worked their way past that objection, hopefully this breakthrough will spur an increase of stem cell research even here in America where it had been blocked (and thus was being carried out almost anywhere and everywhere but America).
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  nvrgnbk

  Great news!