Embryonic Stem Cell Research - "It's Probably The Beginning Of The End For That Controversy"

The quote above is from Dr. James Thompson, also known as the father of embryonic stem cell research. That's great news! The debate regarding the ethics behind embryonic stem cell research has been going on for years (probably ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned). Science is proving to us over and over again that embryonic stem cell research is not only not necessary, it is the underdog in stem cell research.

Adult stem cells come from wisdom teeth, umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, and other various tissues. The research on these stem cells has resulted in 73 successful treatments for different diseases including Alzheimer's, Type I Diabetes, Parkinson's Disease, and various forms of cancer.

What makes these adult stem cells superior is that they can be reprogrammed to function exactly like their embryonic counterparts. Yes! Who needs embryonic stem cells anyways?

The reprogrammed adult stem cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). They can do everything an embryonic stem cell can do PLUS a human embryo does not have to be destroyed in the process. The best part about iPS cells is that they can be derived from our very own cells, reducing the risk that they will be rejected by our bodies.

Let's go back to embryonic stem cells for a moment. Despite millions of dollars in research, not one embryonic stem-cell trial has resulted in the successful treatment of a human patient. Not one.

So why in the world did President Obama sign an executive order to lift the ban on the use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research? (Private funding has never been banned). Why do federal dollars need to be spent on an unproven research that destroys human embryos when there is an even better science behind the iPS cells? Maybe it has something to do with several of the major companies involved in embryonic stem cell research. The day Obama lifted that ban, their stock value increased as much as 88%.

Political actions always seem to come back to pay-offs. If there were some way to fix that, maybe we wouldn't have such a screwy political system...but that's another blog for another day.