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Michigan Live Stem cells offer hope Tuesday, August 21, 2001 Paul Novoselick's disabilities column I wouldn't know an embryonic stem cell if I passed one walking down the street. But I better get to know them. Research into stem cells may unlock medical secrets that could cure diseases that disable or kill, and cure those who have endured the most traumatic of injuries. Not in a week, month, year or even a decade, mind you, and maybe the research will never bear positive results. But with President Bush's controversial decision to allow limited government funding of some stem cell research in the face of moral objections from many religious groups, millions of Americans wondered what it would mean for them. The race was on for the government to perform research already being done by companies in the private sector and by other countries overseas. Actor Christopher Reeve was mildly happy with the president's decision, hopeful the research will lead to a cure for the type of spinal cord injury that has rendered him a quadriplegic; but Reeve was disappointed the research won't be of a larger scale. Fellow actor Michael J. Fox was also semi-pleased with Bush, hoping stem cell research will pave the way for a cure for the Parkinson's Disease he has but also wishing for more. Others not so prominent as the oft-quoted Hollywood duo told reporters they were encouraged by Bush's decision. Mothers and fathers of children with juvenile diabetes _ and adults who live with it _ were happy but said Bush did not go far enough. I've learned not to bet on quick cures as I have watched the progress of more traditional research into multiple sclerosis, which I have had for at least 17 years. Stem cell research is definitely different. I am no scientist, but I've learned that stem cells are "master cells" found in 5-day-old embryos that give rise to all human tissue. There are different stem cells found in adult tissue that also show promise in curing devastating diseases, news reports say. For people with diabetes, it may be possible to turn embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing pancreatic cells, researchers say. Others with or assisting those with Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurologic disease that gradually paralyzes patients until they cannot swallow or breathe, are encouraged by stem cell research as it applies to them. I've read reports about how it may help people with Parkinson's. Alas, I haven't heard about the impact of stem cell research on the hundreds of thousands of us Americans with MS, but it seems if the research makes gains against other nervous system disorders, it could do the same for us. I have left the moral implications of embryonic stem cell research alone to this point because I can see both sides of the issue, which revolves around the debate of when life begins and whether this type of research intrudes on the sanctity of human life. By limiting federal research, Bush did not make everyone totally happy _ many wanted unlimited stem cell research, while others question the morality of using cells from embryos they consider to be in the earliest stages of human life. Still, the news is out about the potential of stem cell research. I wonder why it has taken this long to get the message to the American masses. We have heard about scientists who have said they have formed neurons from embryonic stem cells that make a chemical crucial to curing Parkinson's. We have heard of other potential medical wonders as well. No matter where one personally stands on the moral implications of this issue, there is no denying the possibilities embryonic stem cell research has given people who would love to be without their disabilities. In a word, it's hope. SOURCE: Michigan Live http://mu.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20010821mdiscol21mnewcpn.frm * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn