All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth... - Page 2

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:02

If it were successful it would remove some of the controversy.
Harvesting embryonic tissue is a very touchy subject for some people......I have my own views but they may not go down too well on a public forum.

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I have my own views but they may not go down too well on a public forum.

You may find some people agree with you. You may also find other people disagree with you but that makes for an interesting discussion.

I don't think I'd like anything growing in me that didn't originate from me.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:13

I am not sure about this Willow, but I don't think they can harvest stem cells from adults......I'm sure if I am wrong there is someone out ther who will correct me!

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:14

Hang on while I read the article again because I thought it said in there that we all have some.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:16

Yeah, we have stem cells, but I think I have read somewhere that we do not produce enough of them to be harvested......like I say I could be wrong.

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor Paul Sharpe

For this we've concentrated on adult stem cells, because eventually for human patients, we don't want to be extracting embryonic stem cells," said Sharpe.

An advantage of using adult stem cells to treat patients is that they are autologous (come from the person being treated), and are found in many parts of the body: nerves, bone, marrow, hair, skin and intestine.

..........................

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:17

It looks like they must have some way of doing it now.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:21

My friend was recently treated at the Christie for leukaemia, and they were talking about stem cell research. My understanding was that although we all have some stem cells, we do not produce enough to harvest......but maybe that was in relation to leukaemia...... maybe if it is for teeth they only need to take a few.
I know the Christie was looking at growing their own supply of stem cells to treat leukaemia.

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:26

I don't feel happy about harvesting them from embrios because to me all life is sacred and creating an embrio for the purpose of harvesting the stem cells I just cannot go along with and yet I know there will be people who disagree with me because it may be a way of finding a cure for cancer. It's a toughie.

I know there are some people who don't like the idea of transplants but in those cases the person has lived and died and made a conscious decision themselves for their organs to be used so it's morally different.

That's my opinion anyway for what it's worth.

Reading more of the article it says that stem cells start off all the same and only become different things by being nudged in that direction. That's why they are stem cells.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:33

I think that you can get stem cells fro the umbilical cord of a baby......lettie would know the answer I am sure.
I don't agree with creating embryos for research or for stem cells..... but there are many many babies that are aborted for social reasons....... and currently many of these abortions are done medically.....so the embryo is intact. I would not object to these embryos being used for the harvesting of tissue......but I know this is a very contentious view.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:35

At the present time these unwanted embryos are cremated.(if the abortion occurs at home, then they are often just flushed down the toilet).

WillowTheWhisp · 25-02-2005, 22:37

It's the danger of creating them purely for the purpose of harvesting which worries me, although I could be very wide of the mark.

Margaret Pilkington · 25-02-2005, 22:41

I think that there would be too much of a public outcry for that to happen.
It is a very emotive subject......and not an easy one to get consensus of opinion.
There are very strict rules about human tissue and what can be done with it.
A lot of this came about because of the situation with organ retention at Alder Hey.

lettie · 26-02-2005, 08:33

Stem cells can indeed be harvested from cord blood. Cord blood does not come directly from the baby but from the discarded placenta. We routinely take cord blood from placentae after delivery and hold it in reserve for a day or 2. It is a reliable way of getting a good sample of the baby's blood after delivery. Should the baby become seriously ill within a couple of days of birth we then have a good blood sample without resorting to pricking a sick baby. Some couples have recently started to ask for their stem cells to be harvested from their placenta. We don't do this at Blackburn as we haven't the facilities for stem cell research, but we can send the blood to the units who are doing this research should the parents wish to do so.

garinda · 26-02-2005, 09:05

l know it is a very concentious issue, & l agree it's got to be done ethically. From a purely selfish point of view though, if medecine can produce a drug for me l'd be over the moon, this in fact is the one hope that keeps me sane. @ 39 to be told l'll never work again because of an incurrable, degenerative disease really knocked me for six. Sorry to bang on, l don't want sypathy, & l know theres a lot of people in a worse state than me. But if they can find a drug to replace the dopamine that l don't produce, to tell my hands & legs to move when l want them too, & not shake when I don't want too l'd be very happy.