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Paralyzed woman walks again after stem cell therapy

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  • Paralyzed woman walks again after stem cell therapy

    A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.

    Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago.

    Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy.

    They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had been successfully treated with stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

    Though they cautioned that more research was needed and verification from international experts was required, the South Korean researchers said Hwang's case could signal a leap forward in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

    The use of stem cells from cord blood could also point to a way to side-step the ethical dispute over the controversial use of embryos in embryonic stem-cell research.

    "We have glimpsed at a silver lining over the horizon," said Song Chang-Hoon, a member of the research team and a professor at Chosun University's medical school in the southwestern city of Kwangju.

    "We were all surprised at the fast improvements in the patient."

    Under TV lights and flashing cameras, Hwang stood up from her wheelchair and shuffled forward and back a few paces with the help of the frame at the press conference here on Thursday.

    "This is already a miracle for me," she said. "I never dreamed of getting to my feet again."

    Medical research has shown stem cells can develop into replacement cells for damaged organs or body parts. Unlocking that potential could see cures for diseases that are at present incurable, or even see the body generate new organs to replace damaged or failing ones.

    So-called "multipotent" stem cells -- those found in cord blood -- are capable of forming a limited number of specialised cell types, unlike the more versatile "undifferentiated" cells that are derived from embroyos.

    However, these stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood have emerged as an ethical and safe alternative to embryonic stem cells.

    Clinical trials with embryonic stem cells are believed to be years away because of the risks and ethical problems involved in the production of embryos -- regarded as living humans by some people -- for scientific use.

    In contrast, there is no ethical dimension when stem cells from umbilical cord blood are obtained, according to researchers.

    Additionally, umbilical cord blood stem cells trigger little immune response in the recipient as embryonic stem cells have a tendency to form tumors when injected into animals or human beings.

    For the therapy, multipotent stem cells were isolated from umbilical cord blood, which had been frozen immediately after the birth of a baby and cultured for a period of time.



    Then these cells were directly injected to the damaged part of the spinal cord.

    "Technical difficulties exist in isolating stem cells from frozen umbilical cord blood, finding cells with genes matching those of the recipient and selecting the right place of the body to deliver the cells," said Han Hoon, president of Histostem, a government-backed umbilical cord blood bank in Seoul.

    Han teamed up with Song and other experts for the experiment.

    They say that more experiments are required to verify the outcome of the landmark therapy.

    "It is just one case and we need more experiments, more data," said Oh Il-Hoon, another researcher.

    "I believe experts in other countries have been conducting similar experiments and accumulating data before making the results public."
    - The baby will be back -

  • #2
    Pro-life...

    HA!

    Stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

    Against Stem Cell Research (and think it does nothing?)

    HA!

    Stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

    Comment


    • #3
      This is a good thing... hopefully more research will be done with stem cells to help find cures for more things. And hopefully by the time today’s children and teens get older this stuff will be more advanced and cures will be found for things that are in-curable today.

      Ethics/Moralists People: Please go stick your moral and ethic shite back up your arses where it belongs. Your retardedness is ultimately blocking the advancement of human kind.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Airbus_A320
        Ethics/Moralists People: Please go stick your moral and ethic shite back up your arses where it belongs. Your retardedness is ultimately blocking the advancement of human kind.
        Did you actually read the article? The stem cells used were umbilical cord cells, not embryonic ones. These cells do not require the use of an embryo. The cells can be gathered without harm.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Greg
          Originally posted by Airbus_A320
          Ethics/Moralists People: Please go stick your moral and ethic shite back up your arses where it belongs. Your retardedness is ultimately blocking the advancement of human kind.
          Did you actually read the article? The stem cells used were umbilical cord cells, not embryonic ones. These cells do not require the use of an embryo. The cells can be gathered without harm.
          I did... and this part stuck out to me.
          So-called "multipotent" stem cells -- those found in cord blood -- are capable of forming a limited number of specialised cell types, unlike the more versatile "undifferentiated" cells that are derived from embroyos.

          Comment


          • #6
            Sure, lets kill kids because it might help someone. I'm sure that is perfectly acceptable...

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Greg
              Sure, lets kill kids because it might help someone. I'm sure that is perfectly acceptable...
              Are we really killing the kids to help someone....
              Try to catch me flyin dirty...

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by mikecweb
                Originally posted by Greg
                Sure, lets kill kids because it might help someone. I'm sure that is perfectly acceptable...
                Are we really killing the kids to help someone....
                Let me explain. IMO an embryo would be a kid. Scott Peterson got 2nd degree murder for killing his unborn child. Last time I checked you couldn't get charged with murder if the individual didn't count in the first place. Which is what the justification for harvesting stem cells/abortion is. An unborn doesn't count. So yes, ending a life, even if the individual has not left the womb is still killing. So what I said makes sense.

                Comment


                • #9
                  I agree with Greg here. Who decides that it is ok to kill someone if it will benefit someone else?
                  Fly Raleigh-Durham International, with direct flights on Air Canada, AirTran, American Airlines, American Eagle, America West, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, Delta Airlines, Delta Connection, jetBlue, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express and US Airways to:

                  ATL, AUS, BWI, BOS, CHS, CLT, MDW, ORD, CVG, CLE, DFW, DTW, FLL, BDL, HOU, IND, LAS, LAX, LGW, MEM, MIA, MSP, BNA, EWR, MSY, JFK, LGA, ORF, MCO, PHL, PHX, PIT, STL, SLC, TPA, YYZ, DCA and IAD.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Greg
                    Sure, lets kill kids because it might help someone. I'm sure that is perfectly acceptable...
                    It's like hunting or fishing (almost). At this point, the child is not yet conscious.

                    I find it hard to believe that so many republicans will go out and shoot a deer and come back and protest stem cell research when the deer actually felt the bullet going into its dern head.

                    And then they don't even eat it a lot of the time. Now, the child isn't conscious and won't feel pain.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      IMO it's not a kid till it actually comes out. Do you remember being an embryo.... NO. It's a cell nothing more nothing less, a cell that could help alot of people who are suffering. And to prevent research that could help so many people.... that is just wrong.

                      And I hope the people that are against stem cell research don't dare take advantage of any of the benefits or cures that might derived as a result of it, if it gets allowed. If you are against stem cell research but then benefit from the results... then you are a hypocrite.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                        IMO it's not a kid till it actually comes out. Do you remember being an embryo.... NO. It's a cell nothing more nothing less, a cell that could help alot of people who are suffering. And to prevent research that could help so many people.... that is just wrong.
                        I'll have to agree here. But my view is that it's a kid once it's able to function (able to come out and live..however many weeks this is). Also, I don't say I agree with partial-birth abortion but I believe that the woman should be able to do what SHE wants because it's connected to HER body.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                          Do you remember being an embryo.... NO.
                          When were you first conscious of your thoughts? Can you remember what is was like to be 1 or 2 years old?

                          Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                          And to prevent research that could help so many people.... that is just wrong.
                          that is your opinion. To allow a legalized way to kill individual's... is just wrong.

                          Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                          If you are against stem cell research but then benefit from the results... then you are a hypocrite.
                          Ok, point taken, I won't benefit from the death of innocents.

                          Originally posted by Crism
                          I believe that the woman should be able to do what SHE wants because it's connected to HER body.
                          It all comes down to whether you can justify that kind of murder in your mind.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by FlyCharlestonSC
                            Originally posted by Greg
                            Sure, lets kill kids because it might help someone. I'm sure that is perfectly acceptable...
                            It's like hunting or fishing (almost). At this point, the child is not yet conscious.

                            I find it hard to believe that so many republicans will go out and shoot a deer and come back and protest stem cell research when the deer actually felt the bullet going into its dern head.

                            And then they don't even eat it a lot of the time. Now, the child isn't conscious and won't feel pain.
                            So you don't eat meat then? There is a huge difference between killing an animal and killing a human.

                            The interesting thing is that hunting actually saves more deer than it kills, at least in my area. The deer are overpopulating this area, and as a result many are starving to death because all of their food is being eaten by other deer. By killing some, the others have a chance to live and eat. Not to mention the human lives saved by hunting; deer are the number one killer of humans.
                            Fly Raleigh-Durham International, with direct flights on Air Canada, AirTran, American Airlines, American Eagle, America West, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, Delta Airlines, Delta Connection, jetBlue, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express and US Airways to:

                            ATL, AUS, BWI, BOS, CHS, CLT, MDW, ORD, CVG, CLE, DFW, DTW, FLL, BDL, HOU, IND, LAS, LAX, LGW, MEM, MIA, MSP, BNA, EWR, MSY, JFK, LGA, ORF, MCO, PHL, PHX, PIT, STL, SLC, TPA, YYZ, DCA and IAD.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Greg
                              Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                              Do you remember being an embryo.... NO.
                              When were you first conscious of your thoughts? Can you remember what is was like to be 1 or 2 years old?
                              Proves my point even more...

                              Originally posted by Greg
                              Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                              And to prevent research that could help so many people.... that is just wrong.
                              that is your opinion. To allow a legalized way to kill individual's... is just wrong.
                              It's a bunch of undeveloped cells, far from an individual.

                              Originally posted by Greg
                              Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                              If you are against stem cell research but then benefit from the results... then you are a hypocrite.
                              Ok, point taken, I won't benefit from the death of innocents.
                              Thats fine if you don't benefit, I personally don't want to have whatever problems that could be cured with this research when I'm old. It's your choice how you wanna live though, but don't spoil it for others.

                              Originally posted by Greg
                              Originally posted by Crism
                              I believe that the woman should be able to do what SHE wants because it's connected to HER body.
                              It all comes down to whether you can justify that kind of murder in your mind.
                              It's her body, she should be able do whatever she wants. If there weren't abortions we would have all these bastard children living in orphanages. Would you want a life like that?... no parents and people who just take care of you because it's their job. I know I wouldn't.

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