Prospects rosy for adult stem-cell treatments
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.
"We've got stem cells in all of these tissues from the moment we're born," he explains. "They're in the umbilical cord blood that we cut off the newborn baby -- and these are the cells that actually can repair and replace damaged tissue."
Research on adult stem cells is already helping thousands of people, treating such things as spinal cord injury, heart damage, stroke, and juvenile diabetes. "And the list keeps growing," Prentice adds.
Almost 80 diseases and medical conditions are now treated with many success stories, so Dr. Prentice believes adult stem-cell research now and in future years will produce even more cures and treatments.
Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow
Publish Date: January 4, 2009
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January 4, 2010
Prospects rosy for adult stem-cell treatments
