Stem Cell Research Facilities Claim Breakthroughs Are Just Around The Corner

By Martha Ward


Mankind always endeavour to improve things and to make things easier and quicker. Major breakthroughs in technology, engineering, space exploration and, of course the medical field have led to advances that can almost be described as miraculous. Advances made in the medical field have resulted in new treatment methods and medication that have utterly conquered diseases that used to be life threatening. Research continues unabated and stem cell research facilities say that they are close to even more astonishing breakthroughs.

Bone marrow transplants have been performed for some years. Up to now, however, only patients suffering from blood cancer and other related blood conditions have benefited from such transplants. In these cases, it is hoped that the marrow transplant will stimulate the growth of new cells in order to replace the mutant cells in the blood of the patients. However, these transplants are still seen as the last resort.

Bone marrow transplants are not curing any condition yet, least of all cancer. There are some indications, however, that they can add a significant number of years to the lives of seriously ill cancer patients. Researchers believe that further improvements are round the corner and that this technology will eventually be used to cure some forms of cancer. Progress is slow and actual testing of new theories on humans are still a few years away.

Researchers do not focus on the use of bone marrow transplants for curing cancer exclusively. An entire separate avenue of research are looking at the potential of this therapy to replace damaged brain cells. If this research ever bear fruit, damaged brain cells will be replaced with healthy ones after a transplant. In this way the debilitating effects of Alzheimers and physical injuries to the brain will be reversed.

The use of bone marrow transplants to cure many types of heart disease is also very high on the agenda. Once again, the new transplanted bone marrow will stimulate the growth of new cells inside the heart and replace the damaged ones. Since heart disease is still one of thee biggest killers on the planet, a breakthrough in this field will change the face of medicine forever.

Make no mistake. Bone marrow transplants have numerous enemies. They say that this type of therapy is dangerous and that there is no evidence that it has worked thus far. They also site the fact that the transplanted cells are now often harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This, they say, opens the door to widespread abuse and seriously unethical behaviour.

Critics, and some of them are eminent in the medical research field, say that proponents of bone marrow transplants are misleading their sponsors, their fellow scientists and the public. They accuse researchers of creating the impression that major breakthroughs are imminent while this is most certainly not the case. These institutes create false hope only in order to raise funds for further research, say the critics.

One thing remains certain. Major breakthroughs that will conquer brain damage, cancer and heart disease, amongst others, will utterly change the way in which patients are treated. One can only hope that such breakthroughs are indeed a reality in the future.




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