Cell transplant restores vision

[Dinner]

I can't believe no one started a thread about what could possibly be the single biggest medical success this year. In California scientists have restored sight to a blind man using the lastest advances in stem cell research. HERE is the BBC article.

Mike May, of California, had been blind for 40 years since an accident at the age of three where he lost one eye and was blinded in the other. During that time he had some ability to perceive light, but could not make out form or contrast. The operation transplanted corneal and limbal stem cells into his right eye resulting in Mr. May being able to identify shapes, percieve things in 3D, and develop spacial awareness.

It is unknown how many blind people can be cured using this technique but it is possible that continued stem cell research will yield more and more procedures which will be able to cure previously uncurable aflictions.

I am madder then hell at the Bush administration for cow towing to the religious fundimentalists who have tried to block stem cell research. We can save lives and restore quality of life to so many people yet that Bastard Bush has done just about everything to prevent it.

[Combat Ingrid]

Didn't you know that stem cells are EVIL

[Combat Ingrid]

Btw, it seems EU is going in the same direction...

[Dinner]

This is no longer just theory we now have real cures coming out of stem cell research yet we have religious fundimentalists blocking stem cell research because of religious beliefs. Religion should NEVER EVER be allowed to block scientific progress. Morality is entirely seporate from religion no matter what the fundimentalists think. It's just sad that after thousands of years of being wrong about most everything the fundimentalists are still allowed to **** things up.

[Proteus_MST]

Great News for all those people whose blindness is caused by Defects in Cornea and Limbus.

I wonder how long it will take till it will be able to repair the Retina (much more difficult as it involves growing Neurons/Photoreceptors and establishing new neural Connections between these).

After all most Damages to vision are based on Damages to Retina and visual Pathway (also in Mike Mays Case there seems to be involved Damage to the Visual Cortex, according to his loss of visual Memory from early Childhood and him still suffering from Prosopagnosia and impaired Object Recognition after restoring his Vision [which points to Damages of the ventral visual pathway])

[Dinner]

Your right that this proticular proceedure will only help people with a very specific form of blindness but it just shows the tremendous potential stem cell research has to offer and we've just begun to scratch the surface. Sadly, all of the stemm cell lines Bush approved are nonviable for research yet still the religious fundimentalists refuse to relent on their bigoted opposition.

If there is a hell I'm sure these bastards will be burning in it.

[pchang]

lack of donors

Even if the research ban were lifted we still suffer from a lack of donor stem cells. Like all transplants, we would have waiting lists. Some fear that we might have some sort of black market fetus operation where teenage runaways would be paid to get pregnant so their fetuses could get "harvested".

I do not think this is a valid basis to outlaw research. While I think the development of a black market fetus operation is a possibility. However, these fears are entirely premature. There is still a long way to go on the research before the practice would support such an operation. We still don't really know how useful stem cells can be. In addition, stopping black market operations is a separate issue that should be addressed with the appropriate laws and law enforcement.

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by Oerdin
It's just sad that after thousands of years of being wrong about most everything the fundimentalists are still allowed to **** things up.

Take your ignorance somewhere else!

[Skanky Burns]

I think you meant "their" rather than "your".

[Solver]

Definitely stem research needs to proceed... that's how I was imagining it, doing great benefits to humanity!

[Panzer32]

Could someone please explain the problems some people have with stem cells? From a quick research on the net, it seems to me that there are other ways to collect stem cells than killing the baby thing (like from umbilical chord at birth was one source...)

[mrmitchell]

Stem cells are great. The nuts who don't like them should be summarily executed.

This is a great example of the research. Hopefully more advances will come through, rubbing salt in the wound of the fundies that stem cells are a great way to improve the quality of life.

[Ted Striker]

AWESOME AWEOME AWESOME!

[chequita guevara]

You don't need to have "fetus farms" to get the stems cells you need. Simply allowing science access to the remains that are legally aborted will be more than enough, especially since stem cells can be grown from them.

This country needs to split. We can give the religious zealots part and we'll keep the rest. Then we can continue to advance while they return to their happy days of yore.

[Spiffor]

AWESOME NEWS !