………This page was created to dispel the myth that Embryonic and Fetal Stem Cells have any promise to cure any diseases or help any people or has the potential to further science. There is no such promise or potential. It is a myth perpetuated by liberals running a shadow effort to protect abortion and further human cloning, which is banned in the United States, and even by the United Nations. Please pass this page along to as many people as you can, especially before the election. The paper and the information contained therein speaks for themselves. The information is scientific and not opinion, and comes from multiple independent scientific sources, and the conclusion is overwhelming. Embryonic and Fetal Stem Cells have NO promise and NO potential to cure any disease, and ALL promise and potential to cure diseases like Parkinsons Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Heart Disease, Diabetes, and others, belongs to Adult and Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell research, which has already cured some test subjects, HUMANS, of MS, Heart Disease, Diabetes, and has improved Parkinsons in some patients involved in trials. If Michael J. Fox was as interested in finding REAL CURES as he was in furthering his own agenda, and if he actually read bills before he did political ads supporting them before elections, maybe he’d be involved in the trials of Adult and Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells and be improving, removing the need for his medication, or his decision to over-medicate to make symptoms worse to manipulate the public in his ads he did. Please pass the truth of this paper below to as many people as you can so the lies of the liberal media and liberal Democrats can be proved as the lies they are. If you are a Democrat voter, beware!!! The truth is below. Read with caution.
………Over the centuries, scientists from across the world have made vast advances within medicine and all other areas of science. One of the recent debates within the scientific community and society as a whole is the advantages and disadvantages of stem cell research. My research paper for this class will prove the advantages of adult and umbilical stem cells over fetal and embryonic stem cells based on the empirical data available to this point and offer possible predictions of what may transpire in the future.
………In order to understand the debate currently raging, one must understand the difference between embryonic, fetal, umbilical, and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are self-explanatory. They come from a fertilized egg that has progressed through five to six days of cell division without implantation into a woman's uterus. Umbilical stem cells are taken from the blood present within the umbilical cord after birth. Fetal and umbilical stem cells are often considered the same thing. However, there is a difference, and the difference goes beyond where they are located. The most basic difference is that fetal stem cells come directly from aborted fetuses, and umbilical stem cells are harvested from the blood taken from the umbilical cord after birth. The more complex difference is that fetal stem cells are less advanced than umbilical stem cells. For the purpose of this paper, embryonic and fetal stem cells will be included together.
………According to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) 2001 Stem Cell Report, adult stem cells have been found in many different locations such as the "brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, dental pulp, spinal cord, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, epithelia of the skin and digestive system, cornea, retina, liver, and pancreas" (National Institutes of Health, 2001). Further, in order to be classified as adult stem cells, these cells must be capable of self-renewal throughout a being’s lifetime and also be able to generate genetically identical cells.
………There have been many assumptions broached by both sides of the issue. However, the majority of the assumptions, which have often proved invalid, have come from those who support the use of embryonic and fetal stem cells. The biggest assumption of this group is that embryonic stem cells are the cure for almost all of the world’s ills. They also assume that the world’s Research and Development dollars should be spent on researching embryonic stem cells and not adult or umbilical stem cells.
Adult Stem Cells
………Advantages.
………Many advantages have been realized for adult stem cells over the years. One such advantage is the ability to develop into different tissues and not just the tissues where they were originally found. Scientists have also identified stem cells in the brain that remain "alive" even after death, so these stem cells can be harvested and used in other humans. In 2003 and 2004, the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation conducted hearings with regard to the advancements being made in the fields of adult and non-embryonic stem cell research. One of the testimonies given was from Dr. David C. Hess, MD. He is the Chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia. An advantage of adult stem cells, namely the hematopoietic stem cells found in bone marrow, is the ability for
these stem cells to heal those afflicted by leukemia and other forms of cancer ("Testimony of Dr. David C. Hess, MD", U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2003). Dr. Hess also cites evidence that these bone marrow stem cells can also differentiate, or change, into a "sophisticated" type of neuron called a Purkinje cell. Another advantage he cites is proving to be good news for diabetes patients. These bone marrow cells have been found to develop into insulin-secreting cells that are fully functional within the pancreases mice. Adult stem cells are also not prone to form tumors within their transplantation site. There is also evidence shown in clinical trials, such as that conducted by Dr. Birgit Assmus, MD, and associates, that using adult stem cells can help those who have suffered from Acute Myocardial Infarction, or more simply, a heart attack. In their study which began in October of 2001, they recruited 20 18-75 year olds who had suffered at least one heart attack prior to admission in the study (Assmus et al, 2002). The purpose of the study was to determine if marrow-derived and blood-derived cells would benefit these heart attack patients. After the study, they found that the patients that had been injected with both kinds of cells showed no further heart attacks or any other adverse reactions.
………In another testimony, Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D., sites a clinical trial conducted in Portugal. In this trial, a person’s own olfactory mucosa, or nasal tissue, was taken and implanted into the patients participating in the study who had complete spinal cord injuries. The surgery that was performed was six months after the injury was sustained. After one month, there was motor and/or sensory score improvement in almost all of the patients. Dr. Peduzzi-Nelson states, "The first patient done regained bladder control at 16 months after the treatment and no longer uses catheters" ("Testimony of Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.," U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2003). In relation to Parkinson’s Disease, she sites evidence from a study conducted by Dr. Michel Lévesque, M.D., in which 57-year- old Parkinson’s patients were injected with cells derived from their own brain stem cells. In this trial, the patients showed 83% improvement as judged by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, or UPDRS ("Testimony of Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.," U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2003).
………In 2004, Dr. Lévesque was requested to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in a second hearing. In his testimony, he expanded upon what Dr. Peduzzi-Nelson reported in her testimony. In his testimony, he revealed that the patients which were subjected to his testing were still showing improvement, on and off medication, after three years ("Testimony of Dr. Michel Lévesque, MD," U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2004).
………In the case of Multiple Sclerosis, the debilitating condition of demyelinization, or the breakdown of the protective sheath surrounding nerve cells, is reversed with the implantation of cells derived from adult stem cells.
………Disadvantages.
………A disadvantage of using adult-derived cells which have formed into white blood cells is a possible complication called "graft-versus-host disease" in which the donor white blood cells fight the system of the recipient (NIH, Stem Cells, 2001).
Umbilical Stem Cells
………Advantages.
………An advantage of umbilical stem cells has been the finding that umbilical stem cells are less likely to attack the body of the recipient, unlike with adult stem cells (NIH, Stem Cells, 2001). In addition, pre-clinical trials conducted by Dr. Jieli Chen and associates and reported in the Journal Stroke have found that umbilical cord blood cells caused improvement in rats and after further trials could be successful in treating strokes in humans (Chen et al, 2001).
………Disadvantages.
………A possible disadvantage in the use of umbilical stem cells is purely based on numbers. The umbilical cord has been shown to produce enough stem cells to successfully transplant into a child, but not an adult, thus requiring stem cells from many cords be used (NIH, Stem Cells, 2001).
Fetal and Embryonic Stem Cells
………Advantages.
………In spite of in depth searching, as of today, there has been no concrete scientific data presented to give any evidence to the advantages of using embryonic and fetal stem cells over adult or umbilical stem cells. The one doctor who testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and supported the use and furtherance of fetal and embryonic stem cells provided no scientific evidence to the panel in order to support his position. In addition, while preparing for this paper, I came across an "embryonic stem cell guide" located on the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor website, and realized there were a lot of unsubstantiated claims. I contacted the vice president in charge of the research department over a month ago and asked if he had any hard scientific evidence to support his university’s guide. At this time, I have yet to receive any form of a response. In addition, the National Institute of Health issued their report Regenerative Medicine 2006, and in this report they also say that the embryonic stem cells could potentially cure many diseases, however, there were no statistics or trial data to reinforce this (NIH, Regenerative Medicine, 2006). What, in fact, there appears to be is a lot of failed studies, speculation, and dreaming.
………Disadvantages.
………There have been, however, many reports issued showing disadvantages. One disadvantage is the propensity for immune rejection (NIH, Stem Cells, 2001). A second disadvantage is the possibility of disease transmission such as HIV, Encephalitis, Hepatitis, and Creutzfeld-Jacobs, or Mad Cow, Disease. As reported by the RAND Corporation, another disadvantage of embryonic stem cells is their questionable viability. The embryos being used have been frozen, and the freezing process coupled with the length of time that they have been frozen weakens or destroys them so the cells cannot be harvested and tested effectively (Hoffman, Zellman, & Fair, 2003). Another disadvantage of the transplanted embryonic and fetal stem cells is their tendency to form tumors within the area where they were transplanted (NIH, Stem Cells, 2001). This has been observed many times within laboratory studies involving mice and is attributed to the immaturity of the cells.
………In two studies conducted by the University of Florida and by the Washington University in cooperation with the State University of New York - Albany, respectively, the trials proved ineffective. Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.’s testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, provides the details from these two studies. In the University of Florida study, spinal cord sections were taken from four to eight aborted fetuses and transplanted into patients who had syringomelia, or a condition of a cavity within the spinal cord. After 18 months, the follow-up conducted on the first two patients showed no improvement ("Testimony of Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.," U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2003). In the Washington University study, fetal pig tissue was implanted into the first patient of the trial in 2001, and at the time of this testimony, there has been no report on the patient’s condition.
………In a Parkinson’s Disease trial conducted by a Dr. Freed and colleagues, 19 patients under the age of 60 were injected with cells derived from fetal tissue taken from four different fetuses that had been aborted at seven to eight weeks. The results of the study showed that 28% showed improvement, and after one year, 15% of that 28% showed further deterioration from what had been exhibited prior to the procedure ("Testimony of Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D.," U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2003). They found this deterioration had been caused by overproduction of the implanted cells.
New Findings
………With this, an ongoing debate, no one knows for sure what the future holds, however, if things continue on the path they are on, there will be more and more research come to the fore about the advantages of adult and umbilical stem cells over fetal and embryonic. An example of this is the report that came out today, October 31, 2006. It was reported on BBC News Online that scientists in the United Kingdom grew liver cells from stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood in the hopes of using the liver sections to test medications for indications that they could cause liver damage, instead of using as many humans for testing (BBC News, 2006). There has not yet been a journal report filed, however, there appears to be promise in this latest bit of research.
………After extensive research, one must gather that the available scientific studies support continued use and research of adult and umbilical stem cells, while there should be a decrease in the amount of research put into fetal and embryonic use and research because of the apparent lack of positive results. It also seems clear with the scientific evidence at hand that finding cures for disease is not the driving force behind proponents of embryonic and fetal stem cell research. With that being established, the only other plausible agenda is one of protecting abortion and furthering human cloning research, both of which are repugnant and opposed by a growing majority of Americans. This fact is surely recognized by those whose agenda is to push embryonic and fetal stem cell research, with their true agenda being the shadow goals of protecting abortion and advancing human cloning; and of course the billions of dollars that can be made from both of these.
The content below is the original source material cited for this web site. Links for the information below are provided, and none of the information cited in this web site have been edited or changed in any way. In the coming days, we will be archiving all of these cited sources on sub-pages with .pdf attachments where applicable, so if the original locations are down or inaccessible at some point, they can still be read in an unaltered format.
Assmus Birgit, Schachinger, V, Teupe, C, Britten, M, Lehmann, R, Dobert, N, Grunwald, F, Aicher, A, Urbich, C., Martin, H, Hoelzer, D, Dimmeler, S, & Zeiher, AM. "Transplantation of Progenitor Cells and Regeneration Enhancement in Acute Myocardial Infarction (TOPCARE-AMI)." Circulation. 2002 Dec 10;106(24):3009-17. Retrieved September 7, 2006 from original source.
Chen Jieli, Sanberg PR, Li Y, Wang L, Lu M, Willing AE, Sanchez-Ramos J, Chopp M. "Intravenous administration of human umbilical cord blood reduces behavioral deficits after stroke in rats." Stroke. 2001 Nov;32(11):2682-8. Retrieved September 8, 2006 from original source.
Hoffman, David I., Zellman, GL, Fair, CC. (2003) "Rand Law and Health Research Brief: How Many Frozen Human Embryos Are Available for Research?" [Electronic Version]. Rand Corporation from original source.
National Institutes of Health. (2006) Regenerative Medicine 2006. [Electronic Version] from original source.
National Institutes of Health. (2001) Stem Cells: Scientific Progress and Future Research Directions. [Electronic Version] from original source.
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (2003) Hearing on Advances in Adult and Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Testimony of Dr. David C. Hess, MD. Retrieved September 5, 2006 from original source or archived copy.
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (2003) Hearing on Advances in Adult and Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Testimony of Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, Ph.D. Retrieved September 5, 2006 from original source.
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (2004) Hearing on Adult Stem Cell Research: Testimony of Dr. Michel F. Levesque M.D. Retrieved September 5, 2006 from original source.
BBC News. (2006) "Liver cells grown from cord blood." Retrieved October 31, 2006 from original source.
Further Reading Appendix
Due to the overwhelming amount of research available for this topic, and in order to prevent the paper from being top heavy, I have included this as a "further reading" section.
Arvidsson A, Collin T, Kirik D, Kokaia Z, Lindvall O. Neuronal replacement from endogenous precursors in the adult brain after stroke. Nat Med. 2002 Sep;8(9):963-70 from original source.
Chen J, Zhang ZG, Li Y, Wang L, Xu YX, Gautam SC, Lu M, Zhu Z, Chopp M. Intravenous administration of human bone marrow stromal cells induces angiogenesis in the ischemic boundary zone after stroke in rats. Circ Res. 2003 Apr 4;92(6):692-9 from original source.
Davenport, MD, ML. (2006) "The Unconscionable Claims of Michael J. Fox." The American Thinker. original source.
Eriksson PS, Perfilieva E, Bjork-Eriksson T, Alborn AM, Nordborg C, Peterson DA, Gage FH. Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus. Nat Med. 1998 Nov;4(11):1313-7 from original source.
Hofstetter CP, Schwarz EJ, Hess D, Widenfalk J, El Manira A, Prockop DJ, Olson L. Marrow stromal cells form guiding strands in the injured spinal cord and promote recovery. Proceedings Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Feb 19;99(4):2199-204 from original source.
Ianus A, Holz GG, Theise ND, Hussain MA. In vivo derivation of glucose-competent pancreatic endocrine cells from bone marrow without evidence of cell fusion. J Clin Inest 2003 March 111(6): 843-50 from original source.
Jiang Y, Jahagirdar BN, Reinhardt RL, Schwartz RE, Keene CD, Ortiz-Gonzalez XR, Reyes M, Lenvik T, Lund T, Blackstad M, Du J, Aldrich S, Lisberg A, Low WC, Largaespada DA, Verfaillie CM. Pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult marrow.. Nature 2002 Jul 4;418(6893):41-9 from original source.
Mezey E, Key S, Vogelsang G, Szalayova I, Lange GD, Crain B. Transplanted bone marrow generates new neurons in human brains. Proceedings Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Feb 4;100(3):1364-9 from original source.
Perin EC, Geng YJ, Willerson JT. Adult stem cell therapy in perspective. Circulation. 2003 Feb 25;107(7):935-8 from original source.
Rafii S, Lyden D.Therapeutic stem and progenitor cell transplantation for organ vascularization and regeneration. Nat Med. 2003 Jun;9(6):702-12 from original source.
Zhao LR, Duan WM, Reyes M, Keene CD, Verfaillie CM, Low WC. Human bone marrow stem cells exhibit neural phenotypes and ameliorate neurological deficits after grafting into the ischemic brain of rats. Exp Neurol. 2002 Mar;174(1):11-20 from original source.
Zhao Y, Glesne D, Huberman E. A human peripheral blood monocyte-derived subset acts as pluripotent stem cells. Proceedings Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003 Mar 4;100(5):2426-31 from original source.
To provide additional medical or scientific journal information, or to report a coding error, please E-Mail the address below:
