Stem Cell Research Ban Lifted

I think that we can get past the argument that embryonic stem cells are no different than skin cells that die by the billions every single day. The only difference is that stem cells from and embryo have been donated and can actually have the potential to become a cure or a path to a cure for many horrible diseases. Skin cells just fill up your mattress and add twenty or more pounds to the weight of it over 15 or more years. That is a gross fact but it is what it is.

President Obama lifted the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research as promised which is very different from private funding and research. People in opposition to this ban being lifted will tell you that it is the sanctity of life but it really isn’t when you think about it. An embryo can not survive outside the body of the potential mother without intervention from medical science. Once they are donated for any purpose the potential source of life degrades over time and millions are destroyed past the milk carton expiration date so to speak.

Former President Reagan died from complications from Alzheimer’s disease and it doesn’t surprise me that his courageous wife is thankful for President Obama’s action today in lifting the stem cell ban enacted under holier than thou George W. Bush. Nancy Reagan is one of the best spokespeople for research in any capacity when it comes to any form of stem cell research. She has seen first hand what this research could have the potential to cure.

Nancy Reagan praises Obama
By CRAIG GORDON 3/9/09 12:17 PM EDT Updated: 3/9/09 5:19 PM EDT

Under fire from congressional Republicans for lifting restrictions on stem cell research, President Barack Obama got a powerful endorsement for his move Monday from Nancy Reagan, the former president’s wife.

“I’m very grateful that President Obama has lifted the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research,” she wrote in a statement released shortly after Obama reversed the Bush administration limits. “These new rules will now make it possible for scientists to move forward. I urge researchers to make use of the opportunities that are available to them and to do all they can to fulfill the promise that stem cell research offers." - Politico

I lost my mother to heart disease when she was just 61 years old, my father died of Alzheimer’s disease when he was 73. Both of these people that I loved very much could have had a few more years with us if a solution or cure for heart disease and dementia based disorders could be found. What about the kids that are dying all the time from every debilitating disease that takes them to young from loving parents? What potential could those children have had in our worlds future? That is a question nobody can answer.

Science and the advancement of mankind is judged on success and failure and it should always be that way. We can look into the possibilities of embryonic stem cell research and see if it does have the potential to save lives and base continued research on the results of said science. If it fails, then it fails. There is a reason why we have an electric power system based on Edison’s inventions rather than that of Tesla. One was successful and the other failed. All stem cell research needs the chance to be proven right or wrong and let the result be the end of the discussion. We have separation of church and state built into our form of government but now we need a distinct separation of church and science when it comes to medical research that can prolong the life of the worlds citizens.

Thank you former First Lady Nancy Reagan for your strong support of stem cell research.

Papamoka

Thank you Memeorandum for the tip...

Papamoka Medical News Round Up...

This sort of post may or may not pop up from time to time but one of the things that interest me is current medical research in a plethora of human maladies. Most people just scan the medical headlines and the first sentence or two but I’m gobbling up the information in my brain for reason still unknown to myself. Some people collect spoons or antiques or baseball cards, which makes sense. Why do I collect this stuff? That question I ask myself many times over.
Please note that no medical advice is offered from this site or the author of this post. For the full story please click on the links provided.

Parkinson’s Drug Pulled From Market

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Reports of heart valve damage are causing a drug used by thousands of patients with Parkinson's disease to be pulled from the market.
The Food and Drug Administration says pergolide, which is sold under the name Permax and also in generic versions, is being withdrawn at the agency's request. – The New York Times 3/29/2007

Then I came across this piece over at Reuters...

Alzheimer's vaccine works on mice: Japan scientist

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese scientists have developed an oral vaccine for Alzheimer's disease that has proven effective and safe in mice, the director of a research institute behind the project said on Thursday.

The team is preparing to move to small-scale clinical trials in humans, possibly this year, said Takeshi Tabira, director of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences in Aichi, central Japan.
"We hope the Phase I trials go well," Tabira said. "Animals are able to recover their functions after developing symptoms, but humans are less able to do so. It may be that this only works in the early stages of the disease, when symptoms are light."

When administered to mice suffering from the disease, which causes dementia and is currently incurable, the vaccine reduced the amount of amyloid plaques in the brain and improved mental function.

Amyloid plaques are believed to be at the root of Alzheimer's -- a growing problem for aging populations around the world. The disease affects five million in the United States alone, the Alzheimer's Association said in a report last week. – Reuters 3/29/07

For some medical problems there are indeed a few steps back while in others there is huge potential for great leaps forward. In both of the cases I focused on there is no known cure. Parkinson’s is such a devastating disease that has a huge family of other symptomatic relatives that also are not curable. If you have ever spent any time in a relatively small cities’ Neurology Clinic then you would really get a grasp at how vast the effects of it are and that it does not just afflict the seniors amongst us.

Alzheimer’s is supposedly going to be a very prominent part of the future lives for the now retiring Baby Boomers. Some reports estimate that 14 million of us will be afflicted with it and there is now hope on many fronts for those folks.

One of the reasons I wanted to do this piece was to show all the folks that America may have a huge piece of the medical research pie but there are other nations that are cutting into that piece of pie. It’s a big pie so there is enough room for all. Biotechnology and medical research is a growing industry in America and yet it is also growing around the world in places most people would not think of. Ireland, England, Germany, and Japan are investing heavily not only in their own nations but here in America as well.

I found this interesting highlight on one cities desire to lure the new technologies and research in biotechnology from around the world. The city of seven hills called Worcester located in central Massachusetts has the blue print for success for this booming industry…

Worcester is playing a key role in a new industrial revolution – the biomedical revolution. The Massachusetts Biotechnology Research Park stakes claim to the caption "The Center of Excellence in Biotechnology." The Research Park was created to support the growth and expansion of biotechnology and medical device companies throughout the region. The Park's occupants range from a world headquarters of internationally known industry leaders to promising young companies just emerging, each attracted to the continuous support and proven commitment of Worcester as New England's other Medical Capital. Abbott Bioresearch Center, ViaCell, Athena Diagnostics, Hypnion and Advanced Cell Technology are among the firms represented in Worcester's biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices industry. – Worcester. Right Place, Right Time

One thing that just amazes me about this great country of ours is that we are forever creating new industries for future generations to benefit from. As one is lost to overseas or border nations three or four others pop up to become the next inspiration for the world to try and keep up with.

Papamoka

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Cross posted at the Gun Toting Liberal

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