Will embryonic stem cell resarch ever find any type of cure?

[catholictiger]

simple yes or no question

I think no mainly becuase its been 20 years and they haven’t found a thing while a less effective and less hopeful adult stem cell research has found over 100 cures or symptom reducers or something not real sure.

I also think there is some divine intervention preventing them from finding a cure.

 

[PatrickSebast]

Most of the research hasn’t been searching for a cure, but merely knowledge of how stem cells work. We are getting closer to the point where embryonic stem cells will be essentially useless since they can be produced by other means, but it did quicken some scientific understanding. Thats the thing, it wasn’t necessary, but much like the medical experiments the Nazi’s did on people in their camps it did speed up medical science a bit. Sometimes we learn from bad things.

 

[Zooey]

No, because there is no cure to be found in this research.
On the contrary, what they have found is that every supposed “breakthrough” ends up as a dead end, because it causes cancer…
Which is what you would expect, actually. Cancer cells grow & grow until they destroy. Embryos, since they are supposed to be growing, when used in this fashion stimulate…growth to the point of destruction.

But I don’t think that “finding a cure” (for anything) is the reason for embryonic stem cell research anyway. The** real** reason for it, is to try to “legitimize” abortion in the minds of the majority of people. As long as they can hold out this mythical specter of a “cure”, the pro-abortion crew will be able to assure folks that, “See, abortion isn’t all bad after all”. And the abortion industry is where the money is.
Money & eugenics. There are the real reasons for all the false promises.

 

[Newbie2]

I think eventually there will be some use, a “cure” maybe, that will be found for embryonic stem cells. The Nazis found useful information though some of their horrible experiments.

That doesn’t ever justify such research, in either case, however.

And I agree with Zooey, if results were the yardstick by which we determined which cell types were used in research, embryonic stem cells would have been abandoned long ago. There is an alternate agenda.

 

[catholictiger]

No, because there is no cure to be found in this research.
On the contrary, what they have found is that every supposed “breakthrough” ends up as a dead end, because it causes cancer…
Which is what you would expect, actually. Cancer cells grow & grow until they destroy. Embryos, since they are supposed to be growing, when used in this fashion stimulate…growth to the point of destruction.

But I don’t think that “finding a cure” (for anything) is the reason for embryonic stem cell research anyway. The** real** reason for it, is to try to “legitimize” abortion in the minds of the majority of people. As long as they can hold out this mythical specter of a “cure”, the pro-abortion crew will be able to assure folks that, “See, abortion isn’t all bad after all”. And the abortion industry is where the money is.
Money & eugenics. There are the real reasons for all the false promises.

cause you seem to know what you are talking about, is it the case that adult stem cells are looking for cures but ESC aren’t explaining the data currently on this issue

i think adult stem cells are about 100+ and Embryonic stem cells 0 as of 2007 it was 73-0 im sure that has gone up

 

[Anrando]

Hello,

Until science can manipulate the DNA, and actually know what they are doing, ESC research will go nowhere. The pipe dream is that because the cells are non differentiated they can be “instructed” to follow whatever developmental path WE decide. Personally, as one who has studied cell biology I think this is NOT possible in any foreseeable future.

Quite frankly, even though scientists like to pretend that they understand genes and DNA they do NOT. Putting the human genome in a computer is centuries away from knowing HOW the base pairs actually code or cause differentiation. Even if science was able to figure this out it would be far far away from knowing how to change or manipulate the genes to cause the changes we desire. The sum total of our genetic knowledge is based on observation of know genetic diseases and a comparison of genome sequencing with that of “normal” individuals. That is a VERY long way away from understanding how it all works, let alone having any idea how to modify or change the DNA.

It is all science fiction at this point.

In my opinion, and I admit that I have been away from the field for a long time so I am not up to date, if the ability to manipulate DNA is actually ever discovered the advantages of using embryonic cells will be muted. If we can turn on the genomes we can use ANY cell to cause the differentiation we desire. Every cell contains exactly the same DNA. Right now Stem cells are used because although we can not control the DNA , through other means we can “prod” the undifferentiated cells into division and differentiation where we can not do the same with fully differentiated cells.

I agree with those who have opined that the great desire to use harvested ESC lines is political rather than scientific. ESC’s cannot be controlled. Once prodded into activity they divide uncontrollably and have so far ALWAYS resulted in cancer like tumors in animal testing. Adult SC’s, since they have already been acted upon by the genes far enough along in the differentiation sequence, are in some unknown manner “inhibited” from this uncontrolled reproduction and do NOT cause this unwanted side effect.

At this point ESC research is all show biz, designed to garner funding grants with pipe dream claims that have never actually been demonstrated.

Sorry for the rambling post…it’s late here in the land of the rising sun.

W.Unland

 

[catholictiger]

Hello,

Until science can manipulate the DNA, and actually know what they are doing, ESC research will go nowhere. The pipe dream is that because the cells are non differentiated they can be “instructed” to follow whatever developmental path WE decide. Personally, as one who has studied cell biology I think this is NOT possible in any foreseeable future.

Quite frankly, even though scientists like to pretend that they understand genes and DNA they do NOT. Putting the human genome in a computer is centuries away from knowing HOW the base pairs actually code or cause differentiation. Even if science was able to figure this out it would be far far away from knowing how to change or manipulate the genes to cause the changes we desire. The sum total of our genetic knowledge is based on observation of know genetic diseases and a comparison of genome sequencing with that of “normal” individuals. That is a VERY long way away from understanding how it all works, let alone having any idea how to modify or change the DNA.

It is all science fiction at this point.

In my opinion, and I admit that I have been away from the field for a long time so I am not up to date, if the ability to manipulate DNA is actually ever discovered the advantages of using embryonic cells will be muted. If we can turn on the genomes we can use ANY cell to cause the differentiation we desire. Every cell contains exactly the same DNA. Right now Stem cells are used because although we can not control the DNA , through other means we can “prod” the undifferentiated cells into division and differentiation where we can not do the same with fully differentiated cells.

I agree with those who have opined that the great desire to use harvested ESC lines is political rather than scientific. ESC’s cannot be controlled. Once prodded into activity they divide uncontrollably and have so far ALWAYS resulted in cancer like tumors in animal testing. Adult SC’s, since they have already been acted upon by the genes far enough along in the differentiation sequence, are in some unknown manner “inhibited” from this uncontrolled reproduction and do NOT cause this unwanted side effect.

At this point ESC research is all show biz, designed to garner funding grants with pipe dream claims that have never actually been demonstrated.

Sorry for the rambling post…it’s late here in the land of the rising sun.

W.Unland

wow thanks

 

[Zooey]

cause you seem to know what you are talking about, is it the case that adult stem cells are looking for cures but ESC aren’t explaining the data currently on this issue

i think adult stem cells are about 100+ and Embryonic stem cells 0 as of 2007 it was 73-0 im sure that has gone up

I do indeed believe that the data is being manipulated, & that as others have pointed out, that there is a political agenda.
Adult stem cells are indeed the place where there is :thumbsup:actual good being done.
If I ever remember the article I read, that explained this…It may have been at Priests for Life website, which is very good indeed…

 

[Holly3278]

No, no good or cure will ever come from embryonic stem cell research. Even if something good did come from it, it is still evil:

**1789 **Some rules apply in every case: - One may never do evil so that good may result from it;

• the Golden Rule: “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.”
• charity always proceeds by way of respect for one’s neighbor and his conscience: “Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ.” Therefore “it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble.”

Emphasis in underline mine.

1756 It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.

1753 A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just. The end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent person cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainglory) makes an act evil that, in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving).39

39 Cf. Mt 6:24.

And here is the Scripture verse listed in the footnote for paragraph 1753.

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
(Matthew 6:24 RSV)