Why are stem cells so special?
Related Articles
The late actor Christopher Reeve, famous for his 'Superman' role, helped to give stem cell research a high profile when he spoke of hopes that it would one day relieve his paralysis after a riding accident.
The idea behind stem cell research is to come up with a repair kit for damaged parts of the body. Most adult cells in the body already have a particular purpose which cannot be changed. For example, a heart cell cannot be transformed to take on the work of a liver cell.
Stem cells are different and are still in the early stage of development. So they may be manipulated to help grow healthy tissue.
Research is underway for the use of stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, burns and spinal cord damage.
Scientists say the most useful stem cells come from the tissue of embryos but this is controversial. There are also umbilical cord stem cells and adult stem cells.
Dr Stephen Sullivan, a leading Irish scientist and spokesman for the Irish Stem Cell Foundation, said stem cells are an essential part of seeking cures for the future but legislation is needed here to protect patients.
He stressed there are only nine validated stem cell treatments so far, for certain cancers and rare blood disorders.
More needs to be done to protect patients from "possible scam" treatments that they should be avoiding, especially if they encounter the following:
- Demands for large amounts of money up-front.
- The treatment is given in a region with poor regulation and inadequate assessment of the risks to the patient.
- Evidence of the success is only based on patient testimonials with no hard science or medical journal reports to back it up.
- Being told there is no risk.
- No post-therapy care is available.
Originally published in
