Stem Cell Research?

you know if you want to get ideas for a paper, you'll get way more just by starting thread that says, "STEM CELL BABY KILLING SATANISTS WILL BURN."

My opinion is that I suspect the potential of the research is overestimated.

thanks for your expert opinion marijuologist

Almost no one is opposed to research using stem cells. What various groups are against is how researchers obtain embryos from which to harvest the stem cells. There are two options: cloning an embryo simply to extract its stem cells, and "left over" embryos from IVF clinics. (When extracting stem cells from an embryo, the embryo is "destroyed" or "killed.") That is the ethical issue, not research.

I hope that helps.

What's unethical about it? Didn't they just discover how to convert skin cells to stem cells thereby avoiding using "human eggs."

Tax money? Whatever man... start a land war in asia and I'll show you REAL tax money being spent.

Most groups researching stem cells are privately funded i believe. No use in worrying about wasting tax money. Also, they can now develop stem cells from existing human skin so their is no debate about using embryo's or umbillical cords...i do not see anything wrong with Stem cell research now...

damn beat me to it...

Ya know there's still nothing wrong with private companies doing stem cell research, that's what's being done now. There just can't be any government funded stem cell research. Basically, Dems and the GOP are making a fuss over nothing because there is still research being done....just not government funded.

Alan

mattk wrote:

Most groups researching stem cells are privately funded i believe. No use in worrying about wasting tax money. Also, they can now develop stem cells from existing human skin so their is no debate about using embryo's or umbillical cords...i do not see anything wrong with Stem cell research now...

I agree totally. No problem now and Bush seems vindicated on another issue that he was chastised for by the moonbat left.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Ya know there's still nothing wrong with private companies doing stem cell research, that's what's being done now. There just can't be any government funded stem cell research. Basically, Dems and the GOP are making a fuss over nothing because there is still research being done....just not government funded.

Alan

There's no Federal Government funding at the current time. Several states have allocated funding for adult and embryonic stem cell research. The issue is whether there ought to be Federal funding to potentially accelerate research. Which ever side of that debate one is on, they're not "making a fuss over nothing".

Private companies are investing some funds into stem cell research (certainly very large sums) but nothing like the NIH can in terms of dollars. Also, there are the dilemmas of private companies not sharing their advances, whereas government funded researchers have to make their findings public, which is what the whole scientific process is built on, peer review, demonstrating that results can be replicated, and others taking your work into new directions.

There can be governemnt funded research, it just has to be done on "approved lines" which have turned out to be in far shorter supply/less robust than claimed when W announced his ban on new funding.

This has pushed many of the best researchers overseas- the one example I know of at my instiution is Dr Catherine Verfaille leaving to return to her native blegium, which happened after the funding freeze.

As to the new technique of extracting stem cells from skin- its promising, but it needs to stand the test of time, and replicability, and even then its not clear if stem cells derived from skin, embryos, or other sources will prove to be the most useful. Its still very early in the field, so to predict which source is going to be the best is pure speculation.

Yep wrote:

mattk wrote:

Most groups researching stem cells are privately funded i believe. No use in worrying about wasting tax money. Also, they can now develop stem cells from existing human skin so their is no debate about using embryo's or umbillical cords...i do not see anything wrong with Stem cell research now...

I agree totally. No problem now and Bush seems vindicated on another issue that he was chastised for by the moonbat left.

The problem of reducing costs of somatic cell techniques is still prevalent. Although the ethical debate has quieted, there are still issues in regards to financing. It isn't cheap to "reprogram" skin cells... it is very cheap to use embryonic stem cells. Not to mention a whole ton easier.

People really don't make much sense. They would rather people throw the tissue away than use it for research.

The first part of your post is on the money.

the fact that people think there is so much wrong with it blows my mind. now that they can use skin cells? adult stem cells? great. but the problem is numbers, its kinda hard to get enough to actually do anythign useful. not only that, but they havent necessarily figured out the criteria for differentation and maintainence. i say use the embryonic stem cells cause there are plenty of them to go around.

also, to throw something else out there that pisses me off. some people want research that has already been done, in unethical ways, thrown out and not used. now why the heck should anyone think that? to not use something that has already given us great data, simply because it was obtained in an unethical way, is outrageous. Even though i am appauled by some of these acts (ie. holocaust) i do not think what was obtained should be discarded.

anyone else agree?

remedial poster wrote:

thanks for your expert opinion marijuologist

I do not think those words have ever been put in that order before on this board.