Expert Who Helped Start Stem Cell Battle May End It

Source: NYT

Now with the new technique, which involves adding just four genes to ordinary adult skin cells, it will not be long, he says, before the stem cell wars are a distant memory. “A decade from now, this will be just a funny historical footnote,” Dr. Thomson said in the interview.

As for the science behind it, the thrill of discovery, he said, “Surprisingly, there is no ‘Wow’ moment,” either from 1998 or now. Both times, the discovery came after he had spent months rigorously testing the cells to be sure they really were stem cells, worrying all the while that they could die or be lost to contamination. When he knew he had succeeded, the suspense was gone.

“Imagine holding your breath for a few months,” Dr. Thomson said. When he was done, he said, “I felt mostly a sense of relief.”

But he knows what he wrought. Stem cells, universal cells that can turn into any of the body’s 220 cell types, normally emerge only fleetingly after a few days of embryo development. Scientists want to use them to study complex human diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in a petri dish, finding causes and treatments. And, they say, it may be possible to use the cells to grow replacement tissues for patients.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/22/science/22stem.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Creationist religious nuts deny science is as important as revealed Truth in the Bible and don't believe in Evolution...YEt
it's science that found a solution to their moral dilemma about using Stem Cells as starting points for genetic research.

Science wins again

Game on!

but not funny at all to those of us who might have benefited from earlier research, living and dead.

How many people have suffered while the talibornagains have fought this useless battle?

My dad died in 99. He had Parkinson's. I feel pretty strongly about stem cell research.

Frustrating condition, Parkinsons.
One of my old friends was a researcher in the 80s.
They ran early afoul of talking snake worshippers.

A breakthrough that can cause cancer?

And that no scientist would inject viruses into a host due to the danger of mutation, so apparently these researchers have a long way to go before this technique is perfected.

In the meantime, let the scientists decide which technique to use and keep religion out of it!

Funny...the NYT doesn't mention anything about viruses...

genetically engineered viruses were considered an exciting way to deliver genes to children who could not metabolize certain types of chemotherapy.

That was 5 years ago, but from what I last recall they were initiating various clinical trials in which they would extract bone marrow from a child with a certain cancer, innoculate it with a vector (in this case a virus) and then infuse the bone marrow back to the child. The hope is that from the new genes the child would be able to produce the enzymes necessary to metabolize certain chemo drugs.

However this was usually only offered to pediatric patients who had failed through conventional chemotherapy.

DUers involved in Biotechnology or Cancer resarch could probably offer a better explaination of the pros and cons of using viruses as vectors.

Very interesting article though.