Piano World Home Page Forums Restricted and Archives The Coffee Room Stem cells from umbilical cord blood used to treat paralysis

Hm... I am interested in what Larry and his crowd have to say about this... bump and see if we get a response.

Ben,

What makes you think Larry, or anyone else for that matter would have a problem with this?

Oh!

And we didn't even have to elect Kerry for it to happen!

Imagine that!

There are many sources of stem cells.

Didn't say I expected an argument, just said I was curious.

What everyone seems to be missing is, that after twenty years, this woman can walk again! That my friends is incredible!
Only three weeks after the injection, she is taking steps. I have no doubt that this was the breakthrough that Christopher Reeves was looking for. It is a MAJOR step forward.
Those with friends and family that are paralysed will see through their tears of hope for what this can mean.

This story IS amazing. Guess that's why the stemcell stocks are going crazy again, check this link out!

This story sounds fishy to me. The treatment was on October 12. In a month and a half she is walking unaided after 19 years of paralysis?

I would have thought that after all that time there would be deterioration in the bones and joints and atrophy in her muscles that would have made this recovery process a much slower thing.

Is there any source other than the "World Peace Herald?" I see a UPI header. Was this published anywhere else?

I doubt the story is true either.

Stem-cell research is perfectly legal in the US, and they would have certainly had this result by now if it was possible; let alone in Korea or wherever this story came from.

It's bad to give false hope to so many who need a cure.

I'm not so sure it's fake, but the fact that these university researchers felt it necessary to report their findings via a press conference rather than through the academic press raises questions.

It's not the typical way a legitimate research study's findings would be announced.

Stay tuned...

Paralysis is not necessarily the same for each person.

It doesn't say this person was a total paraplegic only that she couldn't walk. That could mean she could stand, move her legs or any number of things.

Someone who is a complete paraplegic who had their spinal chord severed completely would have to spend months or years rebuilding their atrophied muscles IF they were to get nerve transmission back.

It is likely this woman was chosen because she didn't have a completely severed spinal chord. The repair of nerves if the chord was still attached would be far less complicated.

Still it brings hope. Until this, the only therapy for even mild paralysis has been physiotherapy. That means "get used to what you have!"

The fight over the ethics of using embryonic stem cells has overshadowed the fact that there are already known side effects that would limit their use. The hope is umbilical stem cells would not have the side effects OR the political baggage!