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ray, you might want to check the date on your computer. wed, dec 1969 was a longgggggggggg time ago. :)))) sami -- On Wed, 31 Dec 1969 22:13:09 Ray Strand wrote: >On Thursday, November 8, 2001, at 10:11 PM, Ivan M Suzman wrote: >> Hi Bob, >> >> If a PWP wants to become a stem-cell >> patient at one of these laboratories, what >> are the first steps one must take? >> > >Forget about these cell lines,..ANIMAL RESEARCH ONLY. >Not available for human consumption. > >These lines have been cultured with fetal bovine serum >and on mouse feeder cells. > >There is a concern that retro viruses could be transferred from those >other species >and we would have another problem disease like HIV. > >There are some private labs that have developed a way to culture without >a mouse cell feeder layer and substitute human amniotic fluid or growth >factors. > > >> Do we patients have any means to evaluate which >> of the above laboratories should be selected >> to affilaite with, for research treatments? >> > >Short term, there are labs in the UK, Japan, Sweden, India that are >still allowed >to produce new lines -- and can take advantage of cleaner techniques. > >The labs that obtain these cell lines will be investigating all sorts >of issues. >Over 200 kinds of body cells can be derived, not just neurons. Therefore, >lab affiliation would be what it is now, if you have a favorite lab. > Wait for NIH approval for a Phase I Clinical Trial--yah right? > >There are existing animal models and lots of work done with animal stem >cells >and little in the way of moral objections about that. > And that is why there is such excitement about stem cells. >Animal studies have been promising. > >Now we gotta see how similar or different human cells are. > >> Are stem cells , once implanted, able to produce a >> controllable amount of usable dopamine? > >Stem cells are smart cells--they go where needed for repair. > >There is a lab in Sweden working on this--for Parkinsons. > >Other labs are trying non-stem cell lines. > >If growth gets out of control the cells need to be inhibited by the use >of a rare antibiotic >that they have been programmed to be suseptable (sp?). > >The area of viral transformation of cells or ways of turning genes on >and off >needs further investigation. > >> I am concerned that just as fetal cell transplants may have >> resulted in a few cases of unstoppable dyskinesias due to >> over-production of dopamine, which may have caused egregious >> harm to a few unfortunate patients, proliferating stem cells >> might cause similar harm by multiplying uncontrollably. >> > >There will come a time when those issues will not be a concern. > >I worry about the outlawing of new stem cell lines that will come >from beyond the reach of the Federal government >and the outlawing of therapeutic cloning. > >I sincerely believe there are ethical ways of obtaining stem cells >without the destruction of an embryo. That also needs investigation. > >Sorry, no references. >Hard disk crash (under warranty), >I don't know if my favorite articles are backed up somewhere or lost. >I have had other priorities lately. > >I wish I could be more encouraging, but, like they say... >maybe 2 years... >maybe 5 years... >maybe 10 years... > >it is coming. > >> Ivan >> :-) >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > >Ray > >49/47 dx/40 onset PD > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] >In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at http://www.eudoramail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn