Superior Stem Cells

[billroper]

According to this article, two different groups of researchers have cracked the problem of creating embryonic stem cells from human skin cells. Obviously, that's a solution that's looking for applications still, but -- if you believe that embryonic stem cells are likely to be useful in treating human diseases -- this is wonderful news.

Whatever your beliefs about the morality of harvesting embryonic stem cells from embryos, the stem cells that we'll get from this process (if it all works out) have the distinct advantage of being able to carry the same set of genes as the target recipient. This eliminates nasty problems with rejection and immunosuppressant anti-rejection drugs.

And it looks like a process that works around moral objections for almost everyone. (I say almost, because there are people who have moral objections to any form of medical treatment. But for the vast majority of Americans, this method of generating stem cells should be just fine.)

Better living through biology. :)

Comments

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that would do it. It's occurred to me that what we really need is to get a simple law on the books, right now. "Any human embryo, produced by cloning or any other method, has exactly the same rights as one at the same stage of development produced naturally." Totally leave out what those rights are. I don't think we could get it passed, everyone would want to stick their own little beliefs in, but we need it.

I dunno, you might get the pro-life lobby in on it.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Ought to. One of the hypothetical applications of cloning is just to get a child.

In truth, if the stem cell thing pans out, I don't see a problem. Given that technology, you would not be creating a clone for spare parts, and in all other particulars, a clone is just your identical twin born some years later. We have multiple births now and society doesn't fall apart.

Re: I dunno, you might get the pro-life lobby in on it.

[kizoku42.livejournal.com]

Right, I just want it law that it IS an identical twin before someone does use it for spare parts. But you're right about the right-to-life folks. They'd want to phrase the law to give more protection to embryos than exists now.

Re: I dunno, you might get the pro-life lobby in on it.

[mdlbear]

Far too easy to amend to make it aggressively pro-life. Not advisable.

Re: I dunno, you might get the pro-life lobby in on it.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

Well, that is what compromise is supposed to be about. Everyone agrees on so much, then argues about the rest.