David Prentice, Ph.D.The scientific advances come at a dizzying pace—stem cells, cloning, lab-grown organs, 3-parent embryos. Many of these experiments pose significant ethical challenges.
Japanese scientists have succeeded in growing chunks of functional human liver tissue in mice.
The news of two men supposedly being cured from HIV (only the 3rd and 4th people ever to be cured) is cause for celebration for those promoting ethical adult stem cells, and provides motivation to increase adult stem cell research.
As reported at the International AIDS Society meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the two men, now known as the “Boston patients”, received bone marrow adult stem cell transplants as part of their treatment for lymphoma.
Rob Waddell has had a kidney transplant, but he takes no anti-rejection drugs to prevent his body from rejecting the transplanted kidney.
Scientists in Oregon announced today that they had created cloned human embryos, and then destroyed the embryos to extract embryonic stem cells.
e usually think of DNA carrying the secrets of our biological life, including health and potential disease. But now scientists have used DNA sequences to determine identities.
It was very heartening to see Dr. Shinya Yamanaka recognized with the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine [1], for his work in development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), an ethical route to create pluripotent stem cells [2]. Even more heartening was Dr. Yamanaka’s rationale for creation of iPS cells, and his ultimate aim, the patients:
