Scientists Closer to Cure for Parkinson’s Thanks to Adult Stem Cell Research
LifeNews is reporting that scientists at Griffith University in Australia published an article showing that the use of adult stem cells may be getting closer to a cure, or at least an effective treatment, for Parkinson’s. Their new studies show adult stem cells from a patient’s own nose could treat their condition.
My Take?
Although this is only an animal study, it adds to the tsunami of research supporting adult stem cell research. Not only does this research not destroy human life (as does embryonic stem cell research), by using the patient’s own stem cells instead of embryonic ones, it avoids the problem of the immune system rejecting the injection of the cells.
Ethical Creation of Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Sees Another Breakthrough
LifeNews also reports that scientists have announced a big development with iPS cells. Those are the adult stem cells that researchers have been able to convert to an embryonic state without the destruction of human life.
Scientists at Scripps Research Institute in California and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Germany have been able to use drugs instead of viruses to turn brain cells from an adult back into embryonic-like stem cells.
My Take?
I agree with Wesley Smith, a leading American bioethicist, who commented on the news and said the success drives home the point that human cloning is not needed to advance stem cell science.
“If stem cells for drug testing and therapies are the goal, human cloning is indeed redundant and should be banned,” he said. “But don’t hold your breath. In my view, stem cells were as much pretext as purpose behind the cloning drive. But at least now that will be exposed.”