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FDA OKs First Human Trial of Neural Stem Cell Therapy
An anonymous reader sends word that the FDA has approved a phase 1 trial for Neuralstem, a company with a patented stem cell procedure targeting ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and other spinal conditions. The company's CEO said in a press release, "While this trial aims to primarily establish safety and feasibility data in treating ALS patients, we also hope to be able to measure a slowing down of the ALS degenerative process." Results are expected in 2 years. The trial will involve 12 ALS patients who will receive stem cell injections in the lumbar area of the spinal cord. An information site for the disabled community adds hopefully: "If it makes it through all stages of testing, we will see if doctors are willing to [use] it on subjects that have injuries coming from physical injuries like diving accidents."
Any chance that this could be passed through quick enough to prolong a certain genius' life?
It makes me sad that this is news in 2009. This should really have been commonplace research by now.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
I see you did well at Economic Fallacy School.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
The article states that the clinical trials are being conducted on patients with various levels of the disease. It also states that they are hoping to see the degenerative rate of the disease slow due to the treatments. It does not, however, talk about whether or not this stem cell treatment, or a similar one, could be used to treat patients with a developed case of ALS. For instance, to the /.er that talked about saving Hawking's life, Hawking has had the disease long enough that many of his motor neurons have probably already died out. Can this treatment be used to restore or replace said neurons? For those ALS patients that are already severely disabled, treatment needs to go beyond the stage of slowing the disease down. I would love to see ALS patients walking and talking again that couldn't previously.
Neuralstem's own website also seems rather scant in details on therapy for highly developed levels of ALS. Does anyone know of any research being conducted to treat the latter stages of ALS or how relevant this treatment is for those stages?
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Bullshit.
There are a number of people who repeat that straw-man for political and religious motives, but what promoters of embryonic stem cell research usually argue is something more along the lines of:
"Embryonic stem cells are worthy of research not only because understanding how they differentiate can help us understand how to better use adult stem cells, but also because they have a number of unique features that make them promising to be useful for a number of conditions where adult stem cells would not suffice (such as tissue types that lack adults stem cells, like the pancreas). In any case history suggests that understanding how the body functions is absolutely essential for modern medicine and thus embryonic stem cell research is worth pursuing if for no other reason than its academic value."
Calling research into fundamental aspects of how our bodies develop "dead-end" is pretty much a strong display of profound ignorance about modern medicine.
Do you mean like McDonalds that runs the Ronalds MacDonalds Houses so that the parents of sick children have a place to stay or Eli Lilly that has funded millions of dollars in scholarships? Get a clue.