Breaking technological news in the medical field happened when researchers from two separate labs successfully created stem cells from adult cells. Stem cell research has been the source of great controversy in recent years because of the need to use embryonic cells to reap the benefits of stem cell regeneration. With this new door opened, stem cell research has turned a significant corner, with several news outlets comparing it to the old alchemists goal of turning lead into gold.

Stem cell research is the holy grail of medical technology right now, offering a window into cures for many diseases that currently have none. Imagine the value of being to cure cancer, muscular dystrophy, or even HIV and AIDS. Already one of the research teams has used the breakthrough to cure sickle cell anemia in mice, using stem cells made from the skin of adult mice.

In related news, the creator of the world’s first animal clone, Dolly the Sheep, finds this new research incredibly promising. He finds it so promising, in fact, that he has left his work of many years, cloning using embryos, to work on the new stem cell research techniques.

Why are stem cells so useful in curing disease? Because they are innately able to be turned into any type of cell in the body. This means they have the potential to replace damage cells and tissues in patients with incurable diseases and disorders they’ve had from birth. Being able to work on these cures without the use of embryos could free up government funding heretofore withheld due to ethical issues related to using embryos.

Up until now, many countries, including the United States, have limited or banned the use of federal funding for stem cell research. Some countries who have banned the process of cloning on moral grounds may not change their policies just because the use of embryos is no longer required, but many countries do not restrict cloning, only embryonic cell research funding.

Regardless, this new breakthrough provides a light at the end of the tunnel in curing disease that certainly wasn’t there before. With the hope that the drug companies that make so much money off of the terminally ill don’t find a way to undercut this research to save their future bottom lines, this research may do wonders for fighting all forms of disease, including some of the new “superbugs” (like the new strain of the common cold) that we have created by overuse of antibiotics in everyday items like soaps and in over-treating patients.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2007 at 2:26 pm under Technology.

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