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October 11, 2010 6:23 PM

First Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment Tried on Spinal Cord Injury

Posted by Aina Hunter 29 comments

(AP)

(CBS/AP) A California bio-tech company has begun testing an embryonic stem-cell drug treatment on a patient with spinal cord injuries, marking the first time a drug made with embryonic stem cells has been used on a human.

The patient was enrolled at Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation center in Atlanta.

In order to participate, the patient had to have been injured within the last two weeks. The company, Geron, hopes to enroll another eight to 10 patients in the study.

The stem-cell drug, known as GRNOPC, contains cells that turn into oligodendrocytes, a type of cell that produces myelin, a coating that allows impulses to move along nerves.

When those cells are lost because of injury, paralysis can follow. If GRNOPC1 works, the progenitor cells will produce new oligodendrocytes in the injured area of the patient's spine, potentially allowing for new movement.

Because this is an early stage study, researchers are primarily concerned with the safety of the treatment.

"When we started working with human embryonic stem cells in 1999, many predicted that it would be a number of decades before a cell therapy would be approved for human clinical trials," Dr. Thomas B. Okarma, president and chief executive officer of Geron said in a statement.

Embryonic stem cells have been at the center of funding controversies because the research involves destroying human embryos, which some have argued is akin to abortion.

But, many researchers consider embryonic stem cells the most versatile types of stem cells, as they can morph into any type of cell.

While a milestone in the technology, the drug is still a long way from being proven and reaching the market. It still faces many years of testing for effectiveness if all goes well in the early stage study.

For Patient Enrollment Information, click here.

Watch Dr. Jon LaPook's report on the CBS Evening News:

Tags:
paralyzed ,
spinal cord injury ,
stem cells
Topics:
News ,
Research

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Add a Comment See all 29 Comments
by Hip_Hop_Jesus October 12, 2010 8:04 AM EDT
New-Age Miracle ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Spinal injuries that don't heal will be a thing of the past thanks to this and future technological breakthroughs. A miracle Jesus would approve of surely!
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by omnibus66 October 12, 2010 7:35 AM EDT
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" - Article 1 This phrase is generally interpreted to mean that we have freedom of religion, that the government will not interfere in our choice of what or who to worship. But when one analyzes the commentary here, it is apparent that what we really need is freedom FROM religion. We need a Constitutional Amendment that will protect people from the political and economic consequences of religious zealots who are waging a never ending crusade to push their self righteous agenda on others. Amen.
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by jeff-fla October 12, 2010 8:06 AM EDT
Thank you. I AGREE.
by thinkharder- October 12, 2010 9:03 AM EDT
Amen to that!
by mcg5312 October 12, 2010 3:26 AM EDT
What about using stem cells from babies that were actually born?? With parents consent... Or is that somehow contrued as abortion as well?
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by jeff-fla October 11, 2010 11:38 PM EDT
I for one am excited. Diabetes is a *****. I really don't care if it comes from adult of embryo. I mean they are going to trash the cells, so why not use them. Either way there are destroyed. Why not save a life int he process.
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by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 11:52 PM EDT
If someone wanted to kill homeless people, and then gave you the "choice" of using their bodies for biomedical research or just throwing them into the river, would you find that a compelling reason to kill them?
by jeff-fla October 12, 2010 6:14 AM EDT
That is completely different. The embryonic stem cells are being flushed down the drain after the couple conceive a child. They are destroyed no matter how you look at it. Comparing that with killing a homeless person is just stupid.
by markenriquez71 October 11, 2010 11:29 PM EDT
If the embryonic stem cells will eventually be thrown out, why won't the religious people view these cells as being similar to organ donors? They are cells that can help people, religious people would rather they be thrown out?
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by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 11:33 PM EDT
First of all, get off this "religious people" nonsense. Plenty of non-religious people oppose ESCR. Secondly, we're not worried about "stem cells" being thrown out. The topic is the human embryo from whom those stem cells are derived. Thirdly, organ donors give their PERMISSION for their organs to be harvested and WE DON'T KILL THEM ON PURPOSE.
by salmoc44 October 12, 2010 3:23 AM EDT
bmmg39, So, you are against In Vitro fertilization, right? After all, many embryos are discarded in that process. Why aren't Cons out there protesting in front of clinics that perform In Vitro fertilization?
by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 11:17 PM EDT
So researchers are hoping they'll be able to treat spinal-cord injury patients with the use of embryonic stem cells, and some are acting as though this is unchartered territory -- even though paralysis patients are already being treated with the use of adult stem cells (albeit with far less media coverage). In the spirit of "new discoveries" that really aren't, how appropriate is it that this was announced on Columbus Day?
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by fedup12 October 11, 2010 11:10 PM EDT
How dare those libs try to advance medicine. DOESN'T EVERYONE KNOW that we have the best health-care system in the world and a regulatory environment to back it up???? The above statement was brought to you by Palin. The mavricky mama grizzly who is going rogue. And the party of catch phrases.
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by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 11:31 PM EDT
You mean like "Yes, We Can"?
by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 10:41 PM EDT
So researchers are hoping they'll be able to treat spinal-cord injury patients with the use of embryonic stem cells, and some are acting as though this is unchartered territory -- even though paralysis patients are already being treated with the use of adult stem cells (albeit with far less media coverage). In the spirit of "new discoveries" that really aren't, how appropriate is it that this was announced on Columbus Day?
Reply to this comment
by johnnygeron October 11, 2010 9:55 PM EDT
Religion would not be a problem here if the churches were honest with their members. The stem cells used are obtained from Fertility Clinics. They are the surplus embryos, that if not used for stem cell research, that would be and have been thrown in the trash dumpsters in the back of these clinics for decades. Ask your preacher which is more sacred, throwing the embryos in the trash or using them to cure the illnesses that plague mankind, Then use your own mind to answer that question. Remember the Catholic church tried to destroy Galileo for saying the sun is the center of the universe. It took them 600 years to say "Sorry". Should they be involved in science they do not understand? I think the answer to that is as obvious as the answer is to what is the best use for surplus embryos- dumpster or medicine to cure our families.
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by bmmg39 October 11, 2010 10:50 PM EDT
If I see one more follower compare this issue to Galileo's heliocentric theory, I'm going to throw up. Galileo wasn't destroying nascent human beings while completing his life's work. Try, try again with your analogies.
by Lederric October 11, 2010 8:31 PM EDT
Lets not make any mistakes here. I may be only 16, but I learned at a young age that whatever you do, make sure you have the full picture in mind. There's great possibilities with Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment, but what are the consequences and what can it lead to? Could it lead to cloning? Oh wait, we already tried that with animals. Just like crossbreeding and we seen the results of that. All I'm saying is that life is to precious, to important, to not know all the facts, with religion and all. Because whatever decision you make in life, it WILL effect you in some way.
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