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Stem cell research leading to a cure?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/17/2009 5:59 PM (GMT -5)
Does anyone think that stem cell reseach could ultimatley lead to a cure of UC?  If so, how long do you think it should/would take? 

I was watching some of the Notre Dame graduation today in which Obama was there and I found it very disturbing that there were a bunch of protestors picketing against Obama's decision to support funding towards the research!!!  It could be that the protestors are unaware of the pain and lack of quality of life that UC suffers and other disease suffers go through!

Posted 5/17/2009 7:04 PM (GMT -5)
No, I don't think they are unaware of the diseases that stem cell research could cure. I think it's because of their steadfast belief that life begins at conception.
Honestly, I hope they cure some other diseases before they cure UC, mainly because they are more debilitating and are deadly, whereas UC isn't.
Posted 5/17/2009 9:17 PM (GMT -5)

It's already been in the works, check out these links...

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2009/04/30/49041.aspx

http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/bone-marrow-stem-cells-may-help-control-inflammatory-bowel-disease

http://www.medindia.net/news/Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-can-Be-Treated-by-Bone-Marrow-Stem-Cells-40943-1.htm

This is the most recent article I believe...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090428154835.htm

:)

Posted 5/17/2009 9:23 PM (GMT -5)
I think stem cell research could definitely lead to a cure. In how much time, who knows. What would be really cool is when they can regrow colons and just give us a fresh one.
Posted 5/18/2009 8:49 AM (GMT -5)
I really hope they increase the funding for stem cell research. It could help so many people.

It's funny how people are so concerned about when life begins, but then don't want to help improve the lives of those who are already living.

Posted 5/18/2009 2:06 PM (GMT -5)

mumbles said...
I think stem cell research could definitely lead to a cure. In how much time, who knows. What would be really cool is when they can regrow colons and just give us a fresh one.

Except that re-growing new colons and having them exchanged with a diseased one would only end up infecting the new one, so in order for transplantation to work, you'd have to go to the source of what's causing the disease (not just the area that the disease attacks) and fix that first, which is why stem cells would be a better option then re-growing parts  to transplant, unless your part is more like hamburger meat, then you'd have to have both procedures, the stem cell to actually fix the disease and the transplant to fix where the disease is affecting/destroying.

:)

Posted 5/19/2009 12:52 PM (GMT -5)
That's what I meant re-growing, as in giving us a new one that is transplanted in.
Posted 5/19/2009 12:57 PM (GMT -5)
I know, that's why I explained above that it's not just about getting a new one/re-grown one, it's about treating the cause or the new one would just become sick as well.

:)
Posted 5/19/2009 7:44 PM (GMT -5)

mumbles said...
That's what I meant re-growing, as in giving us a new one that is transplanted in.

Yeah, unfortunetly we still have an autoimmune disease. I don't think alot of people truely understand that concept.

That recent article posted was a great one. Some great things are gonna come from this type of research.
Posted 5/19/2009 10:06 PM (GMT -5)
if you believe something with all your heart, you believe it.  I suffer from uc and would not take life to find a cure.  More has been done with adult stem cells than embryonic stem cells.  It is all a false hope i believe to justify scientific experimentation.
Posted 5/20/2009 12:04 AM (GMT -5)
I'm glad I don't believe stem cell therapy is false hope, in reading current research on it, it looks very promissing for many, many diseases.

:)
Posted 5/20/2009 12:13 AM (GMT -5)
probably like 20 years, too late for me
Posted 5/20/2009 12:21 AM (GMT -5)
I am a big believer in adult stem cell therapy, and the science has improved drastically, I have a friend who went to the cleveland clinic with serious leukemia and they withdrew her own stem cells and somehow purified them, gave them back to her and sent her into remission. I know this is just one case, but it was a while back.

After having dealt with UC for years, I honestly would want it back instead of taking a life just to feel better.

pb, have you seen any articles on placenta stem cells?, apparantly they are even more prolific and easy to work with than the stem cells taken from babies.

----------------------------------------------------------------

yuckygut

diagnosed 1998

now off prednisone and colazal

drink 1 Haldi daily to remain in remission
Posted 5/20/2009 6:30 AM (GMT -5)
Stem cell procedures like the ones for leukemia remain very risky procedures with very high and very serious complication and mortality rates, which is why they are generally reserved for life-threatening illnesses.  They can even provoke autoimmune diseases.

I'm not holding my breath, not when there are already effective therapies and surgery for uc.

Posted 5/20/2009 10:34 AM (GMT -5)
But they don't have to take a life to use embryonic stem cells. A lot of couples who use IVF to get pregnant have "left over" embryos after they've had their child(ren). They're just sitting there, frozen in liquid nitrogen. I think they are eventually discarded, but I'm not sure. I guess I see it as honoring the life (if you believe life begins at conception) more by using the embryos to conduct research that could save lives and cure a lot of horrible diseases than by letting the embryos sit in liquid nitrogen for ages, or by discarding them.
Posted 5/20/2009 12:18 PM (GMT -5)

yuckygut said...

pb, have you seen any articles on placenta stem cells?, apparantly they are even more prolific and easy to work with than the stem cells taken from babies.

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I have seen articles about placenta stem cells, but not fresh in my head...but I've also heard/read about umbilica cord stem cell, right after giving birth they can (with your request) save stem cells from the umbilica cord, I believe they freeze them and keep them in a "bank" incase you, hubby or baby may need them in the future due to disease...even this technique is from a while back, maybe 8-10 yrs now???  I think at that time they estimated the cost of this starting at around 500.00 and that's about all the detail I remember from that.

:)

Posted 5/20/2009 1:08 PM (GMT -5)

seconder said...
I'm not holding my breath, not when there are already effective therapies and surgery for uc.

10 years and I have yet to see a consistent effective therapy. Only thing I haven't tried is the remi.
Posted 5/20/2009 1:12 PM (GMT -5)
We are having a baby in a few months and are considering paying to keep the umbilical cells, or possibly donating them....
Posted 5/20/2009 1:47 PM (GMT -5)
We offered to do that, but had no where to donate too. This was at Vanderbilt's hospital so I was suprised.
Posted 5/20/2009 3:02 PM (GMT -5)

Dr-A said...

seconder said...
I'm not holding my breath, not when there are already effective therapies and surgery for uc.

10 years and I have yet to see a consistent effective therapy. Only thing I haven't tried is the remi.

 

As we're reminded here again and again, outside this cohort many, many people do achieve and maintain remission with the currently available battery of drugs.  When all else fails, they can remove my colon and I can get on with life.  No more hand wringing.

Posted 5/21/2009 1:12 AM (GMT -5)
pb, maybe that is what I read about, the umbilical cord cells.

So there are no placental/umbilical cord banks in the US?
Posted 5/21/2009 12:52 PM (GMT -5)
I don't know yukygut (I'm in Canada myself) but I would think there would be in the US as well, definitely check with your doc about this or try a google search to see if there is.

:)
Posted 5/21/2009 8:12 PM (GMT -5)
there are cord blood banks in the US, we had our son's banked when he was done, at CBR. Cost us about 800 up front and its supposed to be 100 every year, but if you refer someone you get a year free and so far we havent had to pay, lol.
They save it the same way they do blood and its good for up to 20 years and can be used to cure lots and lots of things, i get a newsletter from them about heart disease and cancers and lots of stuff.
I had some coupons for either 50 or 150 off the price but i cant find them, they send them to me often, if someone is interested let me know i am going to try to get some more i was going to give one to someone else also.

You can also bank your cord blood for free HOWEVER there is no guarantee it will be there when and if (god forbid) you need it. CBR, the one we chose is the one that all the drs my husband worked with recommended and we really liked them best.
Anyway, thats off topic, lol just some info on that.

As for the embroynic cells those can be gotten lots of ways, some women who have abortions, either medically necessary or chosen sign to donate the fetus for that. And alot are like someone said taken from frozen embryos that are just left around.

Anyway, the basic thing about it though is that lots of breakthroughs have already been made by this and lots more will i am sure!
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