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STEM CELL RESEARCH TO EXPAND BY 3500% (300,000 minimum cume)
News flash: Embryonic stem cell research in the U.S. will by 3500%!
The Obama Administration has decided to expand federal funding for scientists working with embryos created at fertility clinics that are currently ‘unused,’ making hundreds of embryonic cell lines ‘fair game’ for ‘study.’
The National Institutes of Health new guidelines released July 6 will increase the number of empryonic stem cell lines available for research from 20 to more than 700 (3500%), according to acting NIH Director Raynard Kington.
Conducting Talk Show interviews on this topic is Ben Kinchlow, former Co-Host of The 700 Club and Founder of the Adult Stem Cell Information Coalition (ASCIC) with former Wheel of Fortune hostess, Susan Stafford. Mr. Kinchlow is challenging the issue of “controversy” regarding Embryonic Stem Cells.
Kinchlow and his organization are on a quest to inform that public that there are two totally different kinds of stem cells: Embryonic and Adult. Kinchlow opposes using Embryonic stem cells taken from aborted babies for experimentation but he supports the use of adult stem cells that do not require a baby or baby parts to be ‘harvested.’
During your interview with Ben, he makes three key points:
1) Adult Stem Cells have the greater potential for human wellness than embryonic stem cells.
2) Adult Stem Cells are naturally created by a person’s own body while Embryonic Stem Cells are extracted from embryos.
3) If government funds the inferior and morally questionable embryonic stem cells, there is a strong possibility that funding might dry up for Adult Stem Cell research.
“What is controversial about the union of the male sperm and the female egg?” Kinchlow asks. “Aren’t invitro-fertilization, surrogate mothers, and sperm donors merely variations on a theme?”
Kinchlow continues, “Controversy, my eye. Hitler called the subject of his experiments “Jews” – the Tuskegee experiment called its subjects “Niggers” – and medical profiteers refer to their experiments as “Embryos.”
In addition to using adult stem cells for research from living adult human beings, Kinchlow also gives the latest updates on special kinds of algae that can be ingested and believed to create living adult stem cells in the human body.
Kinchlow also concludes, “This is especially challenging in light of the recent breakthroughs involving Adult Stem Cells. Let’s call a spade a spade and not call a spade a sperm or a sperm a spade.”
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL WITH SHOW PREP:
BLOOMBERG NEWS/
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Expands With U.S. Funds
By Tom Randall and Rob Waters
July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Stem cell research in the U.S. will expand under rules that allow federal government funding for scientists working with unused embryos created at fertility clinics, freeing hundreds of cell lines for study.
The final guidelines released today by the National Institutes of Health increase the number of stem cell lines available for research from 20 to more than 700, the acting director of the agency, Raynard Kington, said in a conference call. Funding for new lines require documents showing the cells were donated, and stem cells being used for research and those from other countries can be approved by an NIH working group.
Embryonic stem cells can grow into any kind of tissue and may accelerate research into cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. President Barack Obama on March 9 lifted restrictions on U.S. government funding for the research imposed in 2001 by former President George W. Bush. The NIH received more than 49,000 comments on the draft rules.
The new rules are “a big step forward,” said Susan Solomon, chief executive officer of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, in a telephone interview today. The absence of a working group option “may well have been an oversight in the draft version.”
An earlier draft of the guidelines released for public feedback in April would have excluded some existing stem cell lines that didn’t meet all the requirements. The new rules ban U.S. funding to scientists using stem cells from embryos created solely for research purposes.
Limited Money
The NIH, a U.S. research agency, in 2008 awarded $88 million of its $938 million stem-cell budget for human embryonic research. The money was limited to scientists who worked from about 20 lines of stem cells. Some researchers said those limitations were too restrictive. The scientists turned to private donors and grants from states.
Today’s guidelines allow scientists working with embryonic stem cells to gain a share of the agency’s $10 billion from the economic stimulus bill, Kington said. The amount of money allotted for embryonic research hasn’t been capped and will be based on the quality of the proposals, he said.
“Opportunities for research will greatly expand, and we predict that there will be more research funded,” Kington said today. The guidelines will change over time to reflect “the evolution of the science,” he said.
Accelerate Research
Approved stem cell lines will be listed on a registry that research institutions can use for grant proposals, according to the agency’s Web site. The rules take effect tomorrow, and the first grants under the new system may be distributed by the end of the year.
The new rules require researchers to inform donors of all the options pertaining to use of the embryos. Donors must provide written consent and can’t receive any inducement or money in exchange for the donation. They must also provide a statement saying the donation isn’t intended to provide direct medical benefit to the donor.
“I expect that most existing lines will be found to have been ethically derived according to the core principles described in the NIH policy,” said Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Stem Cell Biology, in an e-mail today. “This field is evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, and it may be necessary, down the road, to revisit some of the elements of this policy.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net; Rob Waters in San Francisco at rwaters5@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: July 6, 2009 15:17 EDT
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND TALKING POINTS:
1. What are stem cells?
A cell is the basic unit that makes up every organs and tissues of the body. In general, cells are specialized, meaning that they perform one specific task in the body. For example, a cell of the retina will detect light, a cell of the ear will react to sound, a cell of the pancreas will make insulin, etc. Generally, specialized cells do not multiply in the body. Contrary to all the other cells of the human body, stem cells are defined as having the unique property of being able to multiply almost endlessly and to have the ability to transform themselves in almost any other type of cells. In other words, stem cells are immortal cells that are nothing, yet they have the ability to become anything.
2. We hear about embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells, what is the difference between these two types of stem cells?
As their name implies, embryonic stem cells come from the early embryo. It is possible to isolate embryonic stem cells and to grow them in a test tube. Using various methods, still in the test tube, it is possible to make embryonic stem cells become cells of various tissues, like the heart or the liver or the pancreas, and then to inject these cells in various organs to support the organ’s function. Unfortunately, aside from ethical issues, the use of embryonic stem cells is still hindered by the fact embryonic stem cells can easily form tumors.
Adult stem cells on the other hand are found in any living organism. Here the term “adult” does not refer to the age of a person but rather to the fact that they are present at all time in the life of a person. Adult stem cells are present the day an infant is born; stem cells found in the umbilical cord for example are adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are not easy to grow in a test tube and do not easily become cells of other tissues in the test tube, a fact that led to the belief that adult stem cells are lesser stem cells when compared to embryonic stem cells. But recent scientific research has shown that this is hardly the case, adult stem cells have capabilities comparable to embryonic stem cells; but in the body, where it matters, not a the test. In the body, adult stem cells can multiply and become cells of virtually any tissue of the body.
3. What is the ethical issue surrounding embryonic stem cells that commonly referred to in the media?
Embryonic stem cells are isolated from human embryos left over after the process of in vitro fertilization. Typically, when parents cannot conceive and they resort to in vitro fertilization, eggs from the mother are artificially fertilized by sperm from the father. The embryos that are produced are then frozen to be later implanted in the mother. The procedure can be successful after the first implantation, but oftentimes it takes a number of attempts. And parents at times want more than one child. This is why many embryos are produced. When the procedure has been successful and the parents have had as many children as they want, the remaining embryos are kept frozen. And here is the core of the debate: after some time, these embryos are simply destroyed, thrown down the sink or in the trash. Keep in mind that these embryos are invisible to the naked eye. So many scientists are saying that instead of throwing them down the sink, we should use to save lives.
Overall, it is a very delicate question at the core of which is the determination of when does life begins and when is a person legally considered a person. If we determine that a person’s life begins at conception, and we agree with the general concept that life must be preserved at all cost, then this means that the life of an embryo must be preserved. In this case human embryos should not be used for scientific research or treatment. But this position raises a number of other equally complex questions. What is the difference between killing a human embryo by isolating its stem cells or by simply throwing it in the trash? Is a person handling human embryos in a manner that is not optimal to preserve their lives guilty of criminal negligence? And if life must be preserved at all cost, should we allow the disposal of human embryos at all? And the question can get larger, because if we determine that life begins at conception, which takes place before the egg reaches the uterus, and that everything must be done to preserve life, then would a woman smoking cigarette be guilty of criminal negligence, since cigarette smoking reduces the ability of the embryo to naturally implant in the uterus?
As you can see, it is a very delicate question. So that’s the reason why I think that the recent scientific developments on adult stem cells are so fortunate, as they solve the ethical dilemma about the use of embryonic stem cells; we don’t have to use embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells can offer all the promises, without the risks and the ethical and moral dilemmas.
4. What is the recent scientific development about adult stem cells and what makes adult stem cells such an equally promising option when compared to embryonic stem cells?
The main source of stem cells in the body is the bone marrow. Traditional science tells us that the role of stem cells from the bone marrow is to become blood cells, essentially red blood cells, white blood cells and platelet, and that this is their limitation; they can only become blood cells. One of the greatest discoveries of our time is that aside from becoming blood cells, adult bone marrow stem cells can become cells of virtually any tissue of the body. Stem cells from the bone marrow can become cells of the heart, the liver, the pancreas, the lung, and even the brain. And not only is this a possibility, meaning that they can become cells of other tissues, but they do so every day of our lives; stem cells from the bone marrow constitute the natural renewal system of the body.
Anytime there is an injury, or simply the natural wear and tear of a tissue, the affected tissue sends a signal to the bone marrow to release stem cells. As the number of stem cells increases in the blood, the affected tissue also releases other compounds that attract stem cells to that tissue. When the stem cells circulate through the capillaries of that tissue, they are migrate out of the blood flow into the tissue. When they arrive in the tissue itself, stem cells multiply and slowly transform to become cells of that tissue. It is literally the natural renewal system of the body.
5. Tell us about your association with Christian Drapeau, a colleague of yours whose background is in neurophysiology, and how his work with stem cell research influenced your decision to form a Stem Cell foundation?
Fifteen years ago Christian Drapeau began investigating the health benefits of a little known plant called Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, in short AFA. AFA had been on the marketplace since the late 1970s, and many consumers were reporting increased mental clarity and energy, mood elevation, and an overall feeling of wellbeing. Soon Chris discovered that AFA was an exceptional source of the compound phenylethylamine, a compound naturally produced by the brain that is known in neurology as “the molecule of love.” The presence of phenylethylamine in AFA explained many of the benefits reported by consumers. We also discovered in AFA the presence of a compound that helps maintain healthy inflammatory balance as well as a polysaccharide that supports immune functions.
But as Chris investigated the effects of AFA on health, many consumers reported other benefits that we could not explain with what we knew of AFA. But the most intriguing was not the extent of the benefits as much as their wide variety. People reported benefits pertaining to the liver, pancreas, skin, muscles, lung, and even the brain. How could one product bring such a variety of benefits? For many years we had no possible explanation, no hypothesis, until the first demonstration, early in 2000, that stem cells from the bone marrow had the ability of becoming cells of the liver, the heart and the brain. When this was published, Drapeau’s colleague Dr. Jensen thought, “If stem cells from the bone marrow can become cells of the brain, heart and liver, which are some of the most complex types of cells, they must have the ability of becoming other types of cells, and if they do have this ability, then this cannot be just a simple observation, an anomaly, something of that magnitude has to be with a purpose. So in 2002 Chris published the hypothesis that stem cells from the bone constitute the natural renewal system of the body.
The reason why this view was so interesting is that it was the first time there was a hypothesis about how AFA could be working in the body. If a product were to support stem cell function, then as people consume this product and as stem cells migrate in various organs, then people would report a wide variety of benefits touching various organs and tissues. And that’s what had occurred with AFA. So Christian Drapeau hypothesized that AFA was working in the body by supporting stem cell function.
Christian then discovered that AFA contains a compound that specifically supports the release of stem cells from the bone marrow. This compound is not concentrated enough in AFA to have an effect, unless one takes a lot of AFA, which is too much. So Christian created an extract of AFA that concentrates this compound. This product is so far the only demonstrated Stem Cell Enhancer; consumption of 1 gram of this Stem Cell Enhancer supports the release of stem cells from the bone marrow and increases the number of circulating stem cells by an average of 25%, which is the equivalent of approximately 2-3 million new stem cells.
The important thing to bear in mind is that in this process of tissue renewal by stem cells, an important if not the most important parameter is the number of stem cells circulating in the blood. More stem cells circulating in the blood means that more stem cells are available for migration in various tissues, supporting the health of various tissues. So Stem Cell Enhancers support the body’s own innate system of renewal.
The rest is history. I was impressed, intrigued and concluded I wanted to share the good news about adult stem cell research and to learn more in the process.
7. Could this be the solution to all diseases?
I understand that for many people the focus is on diseases, with such a discovery many people are wondering whether this product could get rid of health problems. But we cannot make such claims, as the FDA does not permit making health claims with dietary supplements. Let me simply say that stem cells from the bone marrow can become cells of the heart, the pancreas, the liver, the brain, the kidneys, the lung, the skin, the muscles, the retina… virtually any tissue of the body. For everyone, stem cells from the bone marrow constitute their natural renewal system. During the life of every individual, it is stem cells that maintain optimal health from the day we are born until the day we die. Supporting the natural ability of the body to renew itself is certainly one of the most powerful strategies to assist the body in being healthy.
But I would like to bring the discussion to a more global context, as these new discoveries about adult stem cells literally change the way we view health and wellness. Health is typically seen as what we have when we don’t have a disease, in other words health is somewhat defined as the absence of disease, but we all know that there is a vast gray area between optimal health and illness. A lot of people don’t have specific disease and yet they don’t have the energy they used to have, or the physical strength and flexibility they used to have, the stamina, the memory and concentration, eye sight, many things are not as good as they used to be. Stem cells are what allows the body to maintain optimal health.
You know, health is essentially a balance between cellular loss and cellular renewal. Every tissue of the body loses and replaces cells, and each tissue does so at a different rate.
For example, we have on average a new lining of the intestine every 5 days or so, a new pancreas and a new liver every few years, new lung every 4 years, a new heart every 20 to 40 years, and even a new brain, though here there is some controversy about the timeframe.
So if cellular loss takes place at a rate that is superior to the rate at which cellular renewal is taking place, sooner or later the organ that is affected will not be able to function optimally. So far in medicine we only look at the “degeneration” side of the equation. We try to slow down the degeneration process and when an organ fails to functional optimally we compensate for it in various ways. The discovery of the role of adult stem cells in the body gives us for the first time in history the ability of influencing the other side of the equation: the process of tissue rebuilding and repair. If it is possible to increase the number of circulating stem cells, then more stem cells are available for daily repair of tissues, supporting the natural process of tissue renewal.
So instead of talking about disease, let’s say that Stem Cell Enhancers support optimal health by assisting the body in renewing itself, compensating for the normal loss of cells. I believe there is no stronger strategy to help the body stay strong and healthy.
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