Ethical stem-cells treatments actually get media!!

I was extremely surprised by an article that came out on November 15th reporting on a breakthrough in using ethical stem-cells to treat Muscular Dystrophy. The experiment was conducted in Italy by Dr. Giulio Cossu and reported in the journal Nature. In the experiment, Prof Cossu's team transplanted cells called mesoangioblasts — stem cells gathered from small blood vessels in muscle — from adult dogs into the blood stream of the dogs with MD. The results were astounding. FoxNews reported, "The researchers...treated two dogs that were severely impaired by the disease. Both gained the ability to move much faster and to jump, and one was even able to run, although neither could use the hind legs normally."

This is wonderful news for those suffering from Muscular Dystrophy, but the news story also surprised me. This story was covered by most of the major news sources including:

• WebMD
• MSNBC
• Yahoo! News
• Washington Post (yea...it shocked me too!)

Each news agency reported that the procedure used stem cells taken from the affected dogs or other dogs, rather than from embryos.

Another article, appearing in the LA Times of all newspapers spoke on a breakthrough in growing human heart valves from the amniotic fluid to treat heart defects. The LA Times reported the procedure as follows:

Amniotic fluid was obtained through a needle inserted into the womb during amniocentesis, a prenatal test for birth defects that is often offered to pregnant women aged 35 and older. Fetal stem cells were isolated from the fluid, cultured in a lab dish, then placed on a mold shaped like a small ink pen and made of biodegradable plastic. It took only four to six weeks to grow each of the 12 valves created in the experiment.

Other news agencies that reported this story included:

• FoxNews
• ABC News
• Yahoo! News
• CBS News

These articles even mention that the procedure is ethical because it doesn't involve destroying a human embryo. There is even hope that this procedure could grow replacement heart valves while a baby with a heart birth defect is still in the womb and then implanted into the affected child when born.

These stories are exciting news both for treating these diseases but also because they were reported by major news agencies and they emphasize the ethical nature of these experiments. Of course, there were some news agencies, such as the New York Times, that did not publish either story. This doesn't surprise me, though, because the NY Times is notorious for its blind support of embryonic stem-cell research and it almost always passes on any story that promotes adult stem-cells. Nevertheless, stories like these are promising for the promotion of pro-life methods of treating diseases. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 20:15 | link | comments |
blog