Use of Fetal cells in Medicine

[songbird36]

Most of you will have heard of the recent case of a woman with Motor Neurone Disease who travelled to China to have cells from aborted fetuses transplanted into her brain with the hope of halting the progress of her fatal disease.

The medical possibilities of fetal cells, and stem cells grown from them, seem to be almost limitless.

Do people think this practice is acceptable and if so, what limits or restrictions should there be?

I am hopeful of one day finding a cure for the paralysis in my feet using advanced such as these. From my POV the benefits of these procedures outweigh ethical concerns.

[jimkopelli]

I think scientists need a supply to work with to find a way to grow them without having to use someone's baby (or ex-baby) to get them. After that, there should be no problems.

[mgb]

I think scientists need a supply to work with to find a way to grow them without having to use someone's baby (or ex-baby) to get them. After that, there should be no problems.

Umm, they do. They can use unwanted cells from sperm and egg banks to make cells for stem cells. In a lab. No "parents" to speak of.

[songbird36]

But given that abortions happen in the world, I think it's kind of neat that these dead children can be put to some kind of good purpose. Perhaps then their life (however brief) will not have been meaningless after all.

[jimkopelli]

Umm, they do. They can use unwanted cells from sperm and egg banks to make cells for stem cells. In a lab. No "parents" to speak of.
Then who the fook is blocking that? Or are they?

Sometimes, I'm sadly lacking in current events.

[songbird36]

Hmm - there's a *big* ethical difference between farming fetuses for medical purposes and using ones that have already been aborted.

[crule81]

I'm not a big fan of "the right to choose" but I do support stem cell research. I don't think that anyone could use the research to convince anyone else that abortions are a not a bad thing. In other words, I don't like abortion, but it is a fact. As long as it exists, it might as well be put to some good use.

[Pedro_The_Lion]

I understand non-embryonic stem cells have met with similar success with some of these diseases why not side step the whole morality issue and use those?

Non embryonic stem cells are found in:

The placenta
Human fat
(anyone know any more?)

Just take all the fat from people who've had liposuctions and use it for a practical purpose. Maybe they can give obese people free liposuctions and use their fat a win-win.

[Sackanaka]

I know this isn't all too helpful but I know that hemopoetic stem cells are found in bone marrow, for people who need immune system aid.
And of course, they can be cultured, albeit probably time consuming and expensive.

and if what Pedro teh lion said was true, sounds like a good idea to me.

[ppc]

Most of you will have heard of the recent case of a woman with Motor Neurone Disease who travelled to China to have cells from aborted fetuses transplanted into her brain with the hope of halting the progress of her fatal disease.

The medical possibilities of fetal cells, and stem cells grown from them, seem to be almost limitless.

Do people think this practice is acceptable and if so, what limits or restrictions should there be?

I am hopeful of one day finding a cure for the paralysis in my feet using advanced such as these. From my POV the benefits of these procedures outweigh ethical concerns.

It typically only is when someone who is a theist/right to life type of person is in some kind of situation such as yourself that they think the benefits outweigh the ethical concerns.

[Serotonin]

An interesting question for you all:

How is this practice any more/less moral than organ donation from the recently dead?

[Pedro_The_Lion]

Well in organ donation you would supposably be able to choose to donte. I know some countries have laws where you have to sign a little card that says DO NOT DONATE if you want them to leave you alone but even there you have the option theorhetically.

[jimkopelli]

I remember talk of countries where it was mandatory unless you waivered... but which ones were they?

I figure that if you're dead, you've got no use for them... it's not quite cannibalism, but morally... eh, whatever.

[shaytana]

Well in organ donation you would supposably be able to choose to donte. I know some countries have laws where you have to sign a little card that says DO NOT DONATE if you want them to leave you alone but even there you have the option theorhetically.

Yes but parents have the right to make that decision for their children should they die so why wouldn't they have the right to donate their aborted fetus to research?

[mgb]

Yes but parents have the right to make that decision for their children should they die so why wouldn't they have the right to donate their aborted fetus to research?

I can just see it, making moms sign a donor card right after the abortion.

Since they are medical waste and public property as soon as they hit the curb, I don't think anyone is going to care.

[shaytana]

I can just see it, making moms sign a donor card right after the abortion.

Since they are medical waste and public property as soon as they hit the curb, I don't think anyone is going to care.

And make it mandatory for the ones who use abortion as birth control.

[songbird36]

And make it mandatory for the ones who use abortion as birth control.

Yes good idea. I definitely think a consent form for this should be offered to those seeking abortion.

The medical possibilities are endless.

[Edmond Zedo]

And make it mandatory for the ones who use abortion as birth control.
Excuse me? "Like anyone could even know that, Napoleon."

[mgb]

Yes good idea. I definitely think a consent form for this should be offered to those seeking abortion.

The medical possibilities are endless.

What? Are you expecting them to make some sort of army of bionic fetuses, to take over the world?

[shaytana]

Excuse me? "Like anyone could even know that, Napoleon."

What? I could be talking about myself. :ph34r:

[Sackanaka]

*hands shaytana a noble piece prize*

[jimkopelli]

noble piece... noble piece of what?
:rofl:

[Architectonic]

Noble
n.
A member of the nobility.
A gold coin formerly used in England, worth half of a mark.

There you go, a piece of a gold coin.

[Sackanaka]

I heard that they used to melt down coins to make statues and stuff though.
Or was it the other way around?
One of these options is going to make the prizewinner happier than if received the other.

[Miss Anthropic]

They are developing ways to work around the fetal stem cell issue.

"The discovery of adult tissue specific stem cells, such as haematopoietic stem cells, which have the ability to "transdifferentiate" into other tissues, has generated much excitement among cell biologists and transplant clinicians. It opens new avenues for basic biological research by using stem cells from adults as an alternative to stem cells from embryos. It also carries important implications for the treatment of many liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases."

Too lazy to supply links or sources. :D

[songbird36]

If you hear about anything in the context of spinal nerve regeneration, please let me know.

[Miss Anthropic]

If you hear about anything in the context of spinal nerve regeneration, please let me know.
Sure! I read the info somewhere, but didn't want to wing it from memory as I usually do. I got that quote from googling stem cell research adult, or something like that. What vertebra was injured that paralyzed your feet? I'm guessing it was more of a lower back injury?

[songbird36]

L4 was fractured in hte lumbar spine. The disc between L4/L5 was crushed). The injury was in an area known as the Cauda Equina (horse's tail) which is the nerves coming out at the bottom of the spinal canal.

[Miss Anthropic]

Is it just your feet, like below the ankles that are affected? Are you able to walk at all?

[songbird36]

Yes my feet are paralysed. I also have "anaesthetic" skin on my outer calves and on the buttocks.

[Miss Anthropic]

Is it a less common spinal injury? Or is it just not talked about as much because it doesn't appear to be as debilitating as a quadraplegic or paraplegic injury.

[songbird36]

Far less common. My spinal cord was not severed (in contrast to a paraplegic), and only some nerves in the cauda equina were severed.

You'll find it discussed in orthopaedic literature, but the treatment/management options are (as far as I'm aware) not agreed upon. They certainly weren't in 1987 when I had my accident.

I had a surgical fusion of L4/L5 vertabrae using a bone graft from my hip. Nowadays they do it with a metal pin.