Quote:
Originally Posted by DevilSide
I guess this is one project that shows the world the use of stem cells, maybe we'll drop the ethics blockade and start using it.
|
The issue has never been with "stem cells" - there has been a lot of criticism of "embryonic stem cells" which are taken from fertilized embryons that have been in frozen storage, and otherwise would likely never be used.
Embryonic stem cells have the greatest potential for tissue engineering (making red blood cells is one example - think making new hearts, ligaments, etc.) because they have not started down the path of differentiation to different tissue types, so they can potentially become any tissue if given the right environment.
Hematopoietic stem cells, which were used in these experiments, are the same cells we transplant as part of a bone marrow transplant.
__________________
"The dignity of man is not shattered in a single blow, but slowly softened, bent, and eventually neutered. Men are seldom forced to act, but are constantly restrained from acting. Such power does not destroy outright, but prevents genuine existence. It does not tyrannize immediately, but it dampens, weakens, and ultimately suffocates, until the entire population is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid, uninspired animals, of which the government is shepherd." - Alexis de Tocqueville
|