Stem Cell Cures Any Closer?

(CBS)  In our "Where America Stands" series, CBS News is looking at a broad spectrum of issues facing the country in the new decade.

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Twelve years after the discovery of the human embryonic stem cell, research is finally picking up steam. Over the past 7 years, the National Institutes of Healthhave almost tripled its investment in stem cell research to more than $1 billion.

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports the number of embryonic stem cell lines funded by the government has doubled - from 21 to 44 today. More than 200 U.S. companies are researching stem cells. So the report card on stem cell research is promising -- but incomplete.

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Two years ago, scientists found another way to create stem cells from ordinary skin cells. That breakthrough lets researchers study diseases in a dish. For example, skin cells from a patient with ALShave been turned into the kind of nerve cells attacked by the disease. For the first time, those living nerves can be studied - outside the body - to figure out what goes wrong.

"It's amazing," said CBS Reports: Where America StandsOnce researchers figure out what goes wrong in diseases, they can test drugs in the safety of a petri dish before trying them on patients."We're building foundations right now, so the science is moving along very well," Goldstein said. The Problem The problem? How to harness the tantalizing potential of stem cells. No one knows that better than Dr. John Kessler.Nine years ago, a phone call changed his life forever. His 15-year-old daughter Allison was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident.

"It was a moment of despair," Kessler said. "It was a moment of knowing what I faced - what my daughter faced."

He knew because he's a neurologist and is now a leader in the field. He's turned stem cells into nerves and helped heal animals with spinal injury.

"Is this a cure for spinal cord injury? No," Kessler said. "This is not yet a cure for spinal cord injury. Do we think that its very likely this will help people? We think so."

Today, Allison is an outgoing 25-year-old. Her father's greatest wish is that one day his work will help her walk again.

"If there is a cure to find at this day and age with current science - he's the one who is going to push the envelope," Allison said.

Allison is in medical school now, and has moved on with her life. Her father however said he'll "never get over it, never."

The Solution

The solution can't come fast enough for patients desperate for help now.

Later this year, Dr. Catriona Jamieson

Stem cells are normally present throughout our bodies and help us replace worn-out cells. But these normal stem cells can produce cancer stem cells that create regular cancer cells and tumors. While chemotherapy kills regular cancer cells as they divide, cancer stem cells survive by lying dormant, then springing to life and causing relapse.

"Getting rid of the most robust cell within the cancer that has the capacity to regenerate the whole cancer is how to really expunge the whole cancer and make sure that people don't relapse," Jamieson said.

This new approach may have saved Theresa Blanda's life. In 2008, tests showed she was close to developing leukemia. Eighteen months ago, she enrolled in a clinical trial using a drug that Jamieson and her team developed. It attacks cancer stem cells in her blood - now she's back to a normal life.

"I don't think I imagined myself sitting here, period," Blanda said.

Even if everything goes right, stem-cell based treatments are still years away. But this may be one of those rare instances in medicine when the hype is actually deserved.

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[jmichael07]

Cell Transplants for Macular Degeneration
* Wednesday, June 23, 2010 * By Emily Singer

While the cells seem to survive for months in mice, it's not yet clear how long they will survive in humans, who live much longer lives, or whether they will affect the long-term function of the retina in other ways. For example, they might interfere with the interaction between the photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium, says Reh.

Because the stem-cell treatment doesn't replace lost cells, it most likely needs to be administered early in the course of a disease. "This would not be something for advanced macular degeneration, where the receptors are already damaged," says Lund. "We would want to spot patients who are seriously as risk and hopefully slow or stop process of disease." A number of genetic factors have been identified that boost risk for the disease, and genetic testing is available.

Taken together, retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration are the most common causes of blindness in people 40 and older. No treatments yet exist for the most common form of macular degeneration, which accounts for about 90 percent of cases. A number of novel therapies are under development, including drugs, cell transplants, and implanted devices. Advanced Cell Technology, based in Worcester, MA, uses human embryonic stem cells to grow retinal pigment epithelium, often the first cell type to die off in age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases. The company filed for permission to begin clinical trials of the cells last November.
--http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25647/page2/

It is experimental and there has been some success. Availability poses another issue. They filed when? Do they worry about these things in China, or other parts of the world, do they? There's a story here, I'm sure.

[ajsilva1939]

It is troubling that you continue to mislead about Geron to "prove" your points. Please respond to the following:
1--The trial was announced in Jan 2009. The Repair Stem Cell Institute (RSCI) announced IMMEDIATELY that it would not happen, while you and your fellow media cheerleaders were conning suffering Spinal cord patients with articles that at last, Bush was being cancelled.
2.--In Feb. 2009, The Street dot com exposed a $43million Geron stock scam promoted by the pretend clinical trial. Stockholders lost 14% overnight (literally overnight) when the market was closed as the new suckers bought in at a ?discount.? Naturally the stock opened at the new, lower price so those with stop loss orders got wiped out 14% lower.
3.--Not one so-called reporter bothered to dig up the truth, that Geron had lied about pretend clinical trials TEN TIMES between 2004 and 2009 to bolster stock prices of a company with no chance to ever break even.
4--As of the pretend date that the trial was scheduled to start, no evidence of it having ever existed was available on the only official website in the world for clinical trials, the NIH published www.clinicaltrials.gov.
5?When it was cancelled two months later with Geron jibber-jabber as an excuse, hardly a word from you media cheerleaders.
6?Between then and now there have been three distinctly different reasons given by the Geron hoaxers as to why it was cancelled.
7?Now ACT, Geron?s kid brother, has announced the same scheme.

[schoolofsurf]

We are tired of waiting, years is too long, find something quicker, we are tired of maybe and breakthroughs and what may come etc. We want a product that works and we want it NOW. People are suffering as we speak can we stop fooling around with itsy bitsy politics and money and deliver something to cure this disease! Humans are smart enough now, common! It's hard to believe we don't have the recourses, knowledge or knowhow on how to cure this disease. I say, the day that greed dies is the day we cure cancer. That's for sure.

Years ago they promised cures in 5 - 10 years, its 5 - 10 years later and we have nothing but the same news. That in years to come we'll have a cure. I honestly think our money is going to waist on this crap. Seriously man, who wants to suffer for several more years. Scrap this and find something faster, quicker and more effective. For something to take this long is simply not good enough.

[rcleveland42]

I agree that there could be major advances in cures for diseases using cells off of a live human being, but the reasearchers and funding are being wasted on the murder of innocent babies! You all are never going to find anything good in murder! Stop wasting my tax dollars on this, and use it to fund education!

[rx7171]

>>wasted on the murder of innocent babies!<<

Get real.
A blastocyst is no more a baby than an acorn is an oak tree.
If you really care why aren't you demanding the shutting down of in- vitro fertilization clinics where they are treated as medical waste when no longer needed.

[babooph]

I bet those whaco Christians line up for the stem cell gains instead of their faith healing scam preachers,when the get ill-THEIR foxholes will be full of atheists!

[rx7171]

Although Geron Corporation is only mentioned as the company that is working with Dr Keirstead to provide the Embryonic Stem Cell derived cells for spinal chord repair it should be noted Geron is also getting closer to applying for FDA approval for clinical trials for cells for the repair in the heart, joints and replacement islet cells for diabetes.

They also are entering FDA approved Phase II clinical trials for a single therapy in four different types of cancer including breast and lung. This therapy has the potential to become a universal cancer treatment since its mode of action could effect more than 90% of cancer types.

In addition they are concluding a phase II trial of a cancer vaccine
in leukemia that is showing good results. This vaccine in its next generation will be constructed using cells derived from Embryonic Stem Cells.

[SuperFeeed]

Rx7171

In Your wonderful citation of ALL GERON good. You forgot to mention that Geron's GRNOPC1 First hESC approved FDA Commerical P-1 has been on clinical Hold until further study's. IMo this comes from the Blastocytes harvesting, The Blastomere process is much much more pure. Advanced Cell Technology maybe the 2nd to be approved, BUT will be the FIRST to Conduct hESC Clinical FDA commercialization trials for its "ALREADY approved FDA Status" Orphan Drug Status "1st EVER approved hESC orphan drug" for is Stargardt's SMD, ACT's Retinal RPE program ARE PURE. No Cysts and or teratomas LIKE GERON CORP. Geron Corp will be under a dollar a share in less 14months.

feeed

[marysullivan3]

If the people against stem cell treatment had Parkinsons they would
change their minds. My husband would like to have some quality of
life. Mary

[armyoftwelve]

Stem cells really don't have that much promise. if they had we would have seen profound treatments coming out of the nation's laboratories.
Stem cell research has been around for 20 years both in and out of government.

Ever notice that we NEVER see or hear about stem cell treatments for
mice or simians? Why not? We grow lab mice to have diabetes or arthritis and then treat them with drugs intended for humans don't we?
Why aren't we developing stem cell treatments for simians to show the public what is possible for humans????

The reason is that stem cell treatments are little more than a mad scientist's snake oil.Plus, abortion-rights nutjobs want us to encourage people to kill their babies--so they tell people to donate their aborted kids to a lab.

[kch886]

Progress in science is slow, especially when ignorant people in the Government block it or refuse to fund it of out lack of knowledge. This is news of genuine progress. You need to learn more about how research is done by reading journal articles. This short report could not include everything. There undoubtedly is research on animals, but having human cells to test treatments on is more more step in the process (and groups of cells are not sentient beings).

[rx7171]

>>abortion-rights nutjobs want us to encourage people to kill their babies--so they tell people to donate their aborted kids to a lab<<

If you want to see a nutjob look in the mirror.

[seanieb64]

There is a company in San Diego, CA that's been doing research with adipose (fat) stem cells extracted by liposuction for years. They have been treating patients abroad in Europe with positive results. No controversy like Embryonic stem cells, and they're your own cells, treating all kinds of disease and body reconstruction.

[rx7171]

>>They have been treating patients abroad in Europe with positive results<<
So why are they afraid to go through the FDA approval process so they can market it here if its so great. Huge market here.
Do the Government health plans pay for it in Europe?

[IndiasWorstTechSupport]

"Human's" shouldn't be allowed to live forever. Eventually, because of someone's Greed. They will try to play God.

[ToolMangler1]

I agree. I don't want to 'Live forever' as a human being. there are other ways I would love to live until I got tired of it, then I want to just turn off...

[rx7171]

>>Human's" shouldn't be allowed to live forever<<
If we can continue to improve as human beings why not.
To sit and watch reality programs all the time maybe mortality is a good idea.