Moran. Nulala. “Induced Stem Cells can’t Replace Embryonic Ones.” Science Business: Connecting Buyers and Sellers of Emerging Technologies. 25 February 2010. Science Business Publishing Ltd. 2010. http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3? page=/548/art/17037
Nulala Moran is the Senior Editor of the Science Business online magazine. In this article Moran discusses the differences between induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells. She discounts that iPS cells will at any time soon be able to replace embryonic stem cells in research methods or in therapy. While they do have an important place in research there is still much more research to be done. Interestingly enough much of that research to help iPS cells to achieve their hoped for potential involves using embryonic stem cells to test them.
“Bone Marrow Transplant.” Medline Plus. Encyclopedia. National Institutes of Health. 23 March 2010. Web. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003009.ht
This reference article takes one through the steps of bone marrow transplants from beginning to end. It sites the use of autologous stem cells as well as donor stem cells and the difference between them. The use of chemotherapy and the risks involved in that procedure as well as the fear of graft-versus-host-disease. It is a very good reference article.
Boyles, Salynn. “Stem Cell Treatment for Leukemia Improved.” Cancer Health Center. WebMD Health News. 19 January 2010. 2005-2010 WebMD, LLC. Web. http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20100119/stem-cell-leukemia-treatment-improved
In this article the use of cord blood for leukemia transplant patients is reviewed. The researchers at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson’s Caner Center have found that the use of manipulated cord blood cells have helped to decrease the recovery period and reduce infection-related deaths in transplant patients. It is also noted that cord blood has an advantage over bone marrow for patients because they do not need to be perfectly matched to the patient.
BBC News. “Stem Cell Tourism in Germany.” 23 June 2009. Video. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8115881.stm
This video done by the BBC News goes into detail concerning some of the centers offering stem cell therapies around the world. Some doctors refer to these centers as middle-men selling cells,. This video discounts much of what goes on in this centers and that they pray on the hopes of those that are ill or injured. The charge large sums of money and give the patient very little in the way of scientific evidence that their therapies will work.
Stem Cell Basics: “What are Stem Cells and Why are They Important? ” Stem Cell Basics. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2009. Web. http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics1.asp
The National Institutes of Health offers a great deal of information in their stem cell basics. These pages are filled with updated information about what stem cells are what therapies they are being tested to help and what risks are involved. They cover the ethics of stem cell research and are very readable and very thorough.
Krassowska, Anna, PhD. “Company and Regulatory Agency Define Path to Re-Initiate Human Trial for Spinal Cord Injury.” Geron and FDA Reach Agreement on Clinical Hold. Geron Corporation News Release.30 October 2009. Web. http://www.geron.com/media/pressview.aspx?id=1195
Geron Corporation is the only company that has been able to conduct their own embryonic stem cell research in the U.S. They are funded by private funds so they did not have to depend on any help from the government, therefore they did not have to follow the same guidelines. In 2009, they had reached a milestone in their research and was approved by the FDA to proceed with human clinical trials on spinal cord injury patients. Before they could get started however, the FDA found some problems in their preliminary tests with animals and put a hold on the human trials. This article discusses the problems that surrounded those tests. The FDA has not lifted the ban and has made no comment about when they might do so.
Glover, Joel C. “Can We Use Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Brain and Spinal Cord Injury and Disease." Stem Cells, Human Embryos and Ethics. Springer 2008. 57-62. Print.
In this particular chapter Glover states the seriousness of spinal cord injury as he talks about the numbers of injured persons each year and the cost that goes with this type of injury. He goes into detail about how the spinal cord works and what happens when an injury occurs. He goes into to good detail and the informational content is very interesting.
Robinson, B.A. “Therapeutic Cloning: How it is done; possible benefits. Religious Tolerance.org. Copyright 2000-2005. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Updated 29 October 2005. Web. http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_ther.htm
This article by B. A. Robinson takes on the task of reviewing the advantages and disadvantages to therapeutic cloning. In it he takes on the task of explaining what cloning is, and how therapeutic cloning takes place. He explains why people are interested in therapeutic cloning as a means of treatment for medical procedures and also what the possible benefits are for such procedures. Equal time is spent discussing the problems of therapeutic cloning and the ethical debates that surround it as well.
“Overview of our Stem Cell Treatment.” XCell-Center at the Institute for RegenerativeMedicine. Adult Stem Cell Therapy. 2007-2010. Web.
http://www.xcell-center.com/treatments/overview.aspx
The information gathered from the XCell-Center in Cologne, Germany concerns primarily the treatments done at the center for cerebral palsy patients. The center does not provide scientific data on their treatments but mainly the types of stem cells that are used and under what conditions the treatments are done . There are many testimonials given both in writing and as videos from those who have received treatment at the center and have had positive results.
“Stem Cell Therapy for Cerebral Palsy.” Cell Medicine. 2004-2008. Web.
http://www.cellmedicine.com/cerebralpalsy.asp
This Cell Medicine article is full of information concerning cerebral palsy and stem cell therapy. The information is explicit in how stem cells can be utilized in the treatment of cerebral palsy because of their ability to differentiate into new tissue circuitry that is needed for those parts of the brain which have been damaged due to this condition. The article gives details concerning umbilical cord blood stem cell therapy that has been done in the United States on cerebral palsy patients, and the success that has been realized. The use of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow has also been very effective in treating cerebral palsy as well, probably more so than cord blood, but most of this therapy has been available outside the United States, as noted in the article.
Borthwick, Lindsay. “Stem cells Improve Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms.” Nature Reports Stem Cells. Published Online: 17 April 2008. 63. Web. http://www.nature.com/stemcells/2008/0804/080417/full/stemcells.2008.63.html
Lindsay Borthwick, a freelance writer out of Toronto wrote this article featured in Nature Reports on stem cells and how they improve Parkinson’s symptoms to help bring to light some of the advances of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In the article she reviews experiments that have taken place showing that the iPS cells injected into mice with Parkinson’s symptoms were able to differentiate into neurons and integrate into the surrounding brain tissue, causing it to function normally. Safety is still an issue with regards to human clinical trials, but the animal trials have helped research to take a giant step forward with regards to iPS cells, basically more research is needed to eliminate any of the safety concerns.
Mollard, Richard PhD. “Embryonic Stem Cells.” International Society for Stem Cell Research. 2 February 2005. Web. 1 April 2010.
http://www.isscr.org/public/escells.htm
This article written by Richard Mollard, PhD., an embryonic stem cell specialist at the Institute of Reproduction and Development at the Monash University in Australia. Dr Mollard focuses his remarks on the basics of embryonic stem cell research. Primarily, where embryonic stem cells come from and how scientists are able to obtain. He discusses the use of in vitro clinics and the role they play in obtaining these research embryos and also the part the donor plays in releasing these embryos to research facilities. He also goes into reviewing the remarkable features of the embryonic stem cell and how they are being used in research to discover new therapies for many types of diseases and injuries. How these new therapies will be best achieved is still an open debate, but scientists are hopeful that success will be obtained. Adult stem cells potential applications for treatment are also discussed in this article.
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