Adult stem cell - advance in research

[joninliverton]

I've just been watching a programme on the BBC about advances in adult stem cell research. Not to be confused with embryonic stem cell research which brought so many ethical issues (especially in the Bush regime in the USA), adult stem cell research is when cells are taken from one part of the human body in a hope that after labarotory intervention, can assist or repair other parts.

The programme showed scientists at Newcastle upon Tyne University, assisted by surgeons, repairing eyesight and other parts of the body. Cells were taken from the good eye of a volunteer and allowed to grow under lab conditions and then implanted into the bad eye. The success is incredible and after a while the cells repair the good eye. The programme showed many volunteers now with near perfect sight.

In London there are similar experiments on volunteers for people suffering from heart disease and again one of the volunteers who was given no hope at all by his surgeons, was given the opportunity to participate in experiments. He is now fully recovered and is doing things such as decorating and other manual work that he thought we would never ever do again.

Maybe the 6 million dollar man isn't so far away after all...

 

[Denny Bear]

Very interesting Jon thanks for posting it.

 

[yabba]

I've always felt that the fountain of youth will be discovered about 10 years after I'm dead.