Michael J. Fox looks bad....

[Dr Mordrid]

He filmed this campaign video to support a candidate who's in favor of embryonic stem cell research and it's up on YouTube. Not looking good at all due to his Parkinsons.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WB_PXjTBo

[RhinoZ]

Woah, I'm speechless.

[Dr Mordrid]

Sad part is that the embryonic stem cell treatment for Parkinsons he's campaigning for appears to be dangerous.

A recent animal trial had to be halted because not all of the stem cells turned into new neurons; some turned into brain tumors in every single animal tested.

IMO the advertising & politics are way ahead of embryonic stem cell science.

OTOH many adult stem cell treatments have been successful and they're learning how to differentiate them into more types quite quickly.

[Elie]

Wow that's bad, All the best to Michael!!!

[Wombat]

Sad part is that the embryonic stem cell treatment for Parkinsons he's campaigning for appears to be dangerous.

A recent animal trial had to be halted because not all of the stem cells turned into new neurons; some turned into brain tumors in every single animal tested.

IMO the advertising & politics are way ahead of embryonic stem cell science.

OTOH many adult stem cell treatments have been successful and they're learning how to differentiate them into more types quite quickly.

The trial you're talking about: that happens with adult stem cells, too. THAT isn't news, the fact that it treated the disease IS.

And of course the science is way behind - it's been all but banned by this administration.

[Dr Mordrid]

So you kill the patient while curing him.

Great advance

[az]

Well, apparently someone out there who is actually affected by the disease thinks the risk is worth it to further research.

[Dr Mordrid]

And some cancer patients want Laetrile and other such nonsense. That doesn't make it anything more than cruel marketing of something not effective or dangerous to desparate people.

I'm as much in favor as anyone for researching this kind of thing, but IMO embryonic stem cell research has been oversold to the n'th degree, especially in this country. Sadder still is that some politicians have hung their hat on it for no other reason than their electoral benefit. Not just the Dems. Lots of limosine Republicans are guilty of it too.

Yes; some stem cell treatments are close, but not the embryonic based treatments. It's the adult stem cell treatments that are working, yet the pols and grant machines keep pushing the big funding to embryonic stem cell research while bitching they don't have enough cell lines.

IMO dumb.

[KvHagedorn]

Listen, the point is that research is what's needed. It's needed to find out about all these pitfalls that inevitably come up. The unsure environment is impeding that research.

It's scary to see what this disease has done to Michael, but I don't think I've heard him ever speak with such conviction. What a brave guy.. he's got my respect.

[Gurm]

I'm not saying that TREATMENT is good, but certainly more research needs to be done.

But NOOOOOO. Bush asked his "pastor", and his "pastor" told him that stem cells kill babies. So he did his level best to make sure that the research doesn't happen on his watch.

[Dr Mordrid]

And while they're playing politics with embryonic stem cells they could be collecting millions of strains from cord blood and working harder on differentiating adult stem cells, which by the way work better in the really real world, but nooo....

They want the campaign issue and all those "stem cell research taxes" like Califlaky is collecting. Just one more slush fund promoted by well meaning but deluded people like Fox.

[Gurm]

And while they're playing politics with embryonic stem cells they could be collecting millions of strains from cord blood and working harder on differentiating adult stem cells, which by the way work better in the really real world, but nooo....

They want the campaign issue and all those "stem cell research taxes" like Califlaky is collecting. Just one more slush fund promoted by well meaning but deluded people like Fox.

Hey I'm not saying that adult stem cells aren't great, but while there's a research ban on ANY stem cells, it hurts the entire field. Due to the ridiculous perceived taboo - encouraged by the religious idiots and the Bush administration - the entire field is being hurt on an ongoing basis.

[cjolley]

...They want the campaign issue...

Face it, this another one, like the Terri Schiavo case, where the "conservatives" stepped in it for exactly that reason.

[Dr Mordrid]

Hey I'm not saying that adult stem cells aren't great, but while there's a research ban on ANY stem cells, it hurts the entire field. Due to the ridiculous perceived taboo - encouraged by the religious idiots and the Bush administration - the entire field is being hurt on an ongoing basis.

There isn't a "research ban on ANY stem cells", just on embryonic cells and it only applies to Federal funding sources.

If private money wants to do embryonic research they're more than welcome to do so. Same with State funding.

All the hub-bub on this subject in the political world is nothing but a red herring.

[cjolley]

...
All the hub-bub on this subject in the political world is nothing but a red herring.

If the ban is of no importance, why was it put in place?
There's hub-bub, and quite a bit of herring on the other side of this argument.