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Phil, Great work. Give your shovel a rest. Greg ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Tompkins" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, October 06, 2000 9:29 AM Subject: Re: Stem Cells: Don't be fooled! > For anyone who was trying to follow me as I tried to sort through > the Christopher Reeve statements and the reports and meanings > thereof, here's the latest poop: > > I e-mailed the Christopher Reeve Foundation as I said I would. The > reply I got, from a Susan Howley, is: > > "In general, scientists agree that stem cell research must be > pursued on all fronts because among many other things, it is not > known whether differentiated "adult" stem cells will be as effective > therapeutically as undifferentiated stem cells. In the case of the > study you cite, while it is true that the marrow stem cells > apparently were converted to neurons, the project did not examine > behavioral outcomes in animal models of injury. The study will > have to be replicated independently in other laboratories and taken > to the next level of investigation. In general, the only thing safe to > say is that an extraordinary amount of work remains to be done > before we understand the capacity of all stem cells to be used to > treat and cure disease. > > "Until the results of scientific studies are published in peer reviewed > scientific journals, they are not in the public domain. While the > subject study may have been submitted on March 31st, it was only > published in the August 15, 2000 issue of Journal of Neuroscience > Research." > > As I indicated, the web site where Bill got his information is run by > pro-life opponents of embryonic stem cell research who are trying > to argue that research shows that this line of research is not > needed, and that adult stem cells can do the job. > > Besides being aware of where information comes from, it is > important to pay attention to different senses of the little word > "can", which range along a spectrum from what is theoretically > possible to what is now practically doable, and to beware of > distortions in which one sense of "can" is equated to another. In > theory, since every cell in the same person contains the same > genes, any cell type can be converted to any other cell type. But > nobody can practically do all this now. Until someone actually > converts marrow cells to dopamine-producing neurons and > transplants them into a Parkinson's patient's substantia nigra, and > they grow there and produce dopamine and permanently reverse > PD symptoms with no significant undesirable effects, it will be too > early to abandon embryonic stem cell research. The capabilities of > embryonic stem cells are not just theoretical. In fact they do > eventually differentiate into dopamine producing cells, as occurs in > normal human development. > > Well, I'm turning in my shovel now. Anyone with further questions > can contact the Christophe Reeve Foundation. > > Phil Tompkins >