Consumer Guide To Stem Cell Clinics 40
Penguinsh- writes "Patients seeking stem cell treatments now have a guide to the various clinics purporting to offer such treatments. Not exactly a Zagat or Michelin, but much more objective information from qualified experts than was available before in one place. Created by the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the guide was the brainchild of a task force convened by former ISSCR President Irving Weissman of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine."
Re:Futurama [paraphrased] (Score:2, Informative)
“Fetal stem cells? Aren’t those controversial?” – Fry
“In your time, yes. But nowadays, shut up! Besides, these are adult stem cells, harvested from perfectly healthy adults, whom I killed for their stem cells.” – Professor
Re:Woohoo! It's a road map to teratomas! (Score:1, Informative)
Life is cheap. Beyond that, the western world has no sense of risk anymore. Ohes noes, an adult that has all the ability to do basic research might be taken advantage of...color me not caring.
I have a progressive disease that will eventually kill me. I spent a year in the hospital along with rehabilitation that went along with all of this a decade back...I was told I was most likely not going to live as long as I have. I've had two other episodes that required emergency surgery in the last three years. All because of a genetic defect that the repair of would require repairing the genes in stem cells and a brief therapy...there have been two deaths that I know of in the attempt to cure it this way, and both gave a LOT of knowledge about how to go about this sort of treatment.
At this point in my life, I know what it takes to keep this in check and can probably get away with another 10 years before it becomes a real problem again (actually my case has changed the treatment of the disease somewhat) but when it does and I can no longer function to the ability I am accustom to (a truncated life is better than one where I'm not living a real life)...but when it happen, I'll sign up for whatever treatment is available.
But some ethicists still consider this explorations...including armchair ethicists like you...