Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Geron Corp. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: FJB who wrote (3308)	9/2/2011 4:07:45 PM
From: Savant	Respond to of 3576

"stem cell bank"...does it pay interest? FDIC insured?..does it do sub-prime cell loans?

To: FJB who wrote (3308)	9/3/2011 10:48:04 AM
From: XenaLives	Respond to of 3576

That piece doesn't seem to be well researched, or it was a political pump piece. "It’s refreshing to hear a presidential candidate discuss this topic with such clarity. The MSM, on the other hand, spreads confusion about cell medicine, promoting the widespread misconception that all stem cells come from dead fetuses and treating all adult stem cell procedures like so many back-alley abortions — even if the patient is a right-wing Christian presidential candidate. In fact, the MSM studiously avoids the subject of stem cells — unless, that is, you’re talking embryonic stem cells. " VS this: "The procedure involves injecting ReNeuron's neural stem cells into patients' brains in the hope they will repair areas damaged by stroke, thereby improving both mental and physical function. It uses stem cells derived from human fetuses rather than embryos, which were used in a stem cell trial to treat patients with spinal cord injuries by Geron Corp of the United States. " siliconinvestor.com The fact is that a great deal of "adult" stem cell research derives the cells from human fetuses. "Moral Issues Surrounding the Sources of Stem Cells At present, there are three possible sources of stem cells: adult stem cells derived from pediatric or adult donors; embryo germ cell stem cells ( EG cells) derived from aborted fetuses; and embryonic stem cells ( ES cells) derived from disaggregated preimplantation embryos. The first of these sources poses no special ethical problems for the majority of people. Adults and children can donate tissue so long as the appropriate conditions of consent are respected. Individuals who do not object to induced abortion will be less concerned about the use of EG cells than those opposed to abortion. The least ethically problematic case would be to harvest stem cells from spontaneously aborted fetuses. There are, however, several obstacles to obtaining useful EG cells from spontaneously aborted tissue. Foremost is the problem of the harvesting healthy cells from fetuses. For the foreseeable future, extracting and culturing stem cells will be more of an art than an established technology. The amount of material that can be derived this way is limited even under the best circumstances. Results from several studies indicate that about 60% of all spontaneous abortions arise as a result of specific fetal anomalies; specific chromosomal abnormalities were identified in about 20% of those. While stem cells with damaged genetic complements may be useful for a limited number of experiments, they are unlikely to be the basis of experiments leading to useful “normal” tissue. Finally, there is the matter of timing. EG cells can only be obtained during a narrow developmental phase, within the first eight weeks after conception. Most spontaneous abortions that occur during this period do not take place in a hospital or clinic where the tissue can be readily obtained." counterbalance.org Which leaves the question that pro-adult stem cell articles never seem to get around to. Where do stem cells for non-autologous treatments come from? The answer seems to be aborted fetuses.