Researchers Advance the Survival and Growth of Adult Stem Cells

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Science Daily — MIT researchers have developed a technique to encourage the survival and growth of adult stem cells, a step that could help realize the therapeutic potential of such cells.

Here’s a statement you won’t see in any main stream news article: “Those [adult] stem cells hold great promise for treatment of injuries and some diseases.” That is from MIT professor Linda Griffith who is involved with this recent study “showing that when presented in the right physical context, certain growth factors encourage the survival and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells grown outside of the body.”

Griffith is a sight for sore eyes as far as scientific researchers go: she objects to the use of human embryos for stem cell research. She came to this realization after her personal experience with in-vitro fertilization 10 years ago:

“Like some other scientists I know, my personal views about creating human ES cell lines changed when confronted with the reality of doing so from my own embryos. After this experience, I was not comfortable conducting human ES cell research myself, and I have a tbetter understanding of why some scientists object to all work with human ES cells.”

She also promotes the promise of adult stem cells:

“I’m very optimistic about the potential for adult stem cells to be useful clinically for the problems I work on, since there are already some clinical successes based on these cells. Continuing, careful, methodical work will lead to improved therapies based on adult stem cells. We are aiming to expand the range of therapies that work in the clinic.”

The MSM would have you believe that all scientists and researchers believe in advancing the “promising” ESC research, but actually this article, which is from Science Daily, calls Griffith “one among many scientists around the world who have at least some objections to creation of human embryonic stem cells, for a variety of reasons.” Interesting.

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