Transplant of Human Windpipe Grown From Patient's Own Stem Cells

[Jcomp]

Read all about it (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/research/20stemcell.html?bl&ex=1227330000&en=cb254b577ccf4790&ei=5087%0A).

And then read even more about it. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencenews/3486000/Transplant-of-windpipe-grown-from-stem-cells-heralds-new-era-in-medicine.html)

Pretty freaking cool, in my own humble opinion.

[Plot Device]

I want some new molars.

For real. My current molars won't last much longer. Can we clone some molars???

[willfulone]

Thanks for sharing. I love reading this sort of material.

Christine

[cethklein]

It just goes to show what we can do as human beings if we don't restrain ourselves. I have to wonder how those who oppose stem cell research are taking this. It's got to be a double-edged sword for them.

[William Haskins]

this is a great avenue for the technology in that it goes a long way toward separating the stem cell issue from the abortion issue.

[ClaudiaGray]

I want some new molars.

For real. My current molars won't last much longer. Can we clone some molars???

Actually, there are researchers working on "replacement teeth," but not through cloning. The human body naturally creates new replacement teeth once in life*, and scientists are fairly sure they can come up with ways to convince the body to do it again, if needed. (The big stumbling block, last I heard, was that they weren't sure how to shut the process off again once activated. Hope they figure it out soon!) Pretty cool, isn't it?

(*twice if you count the initial growth(

[Zoombie]

Ah, yay, a thread about something optimistic!

Very cool!

[Williebee]

The teeth idea sounds cool. It also sounds like a "Night Gallery" episode.

"Quinn, it's accelerating. I can't make it stop!"

"We're gonna need a bigger toothbrush."

Actually, I'm wondering if there's any of there's any of Bobby Darin's DNA around. Wouldn't it be great to have his pipes?

[Plot Device]

Actually, there are researchers working on "replacement teeth," but not through cloning. The human body naturally creates new replacement teeth once in life*, and scientists are fairly sure they can come up with ways to convince the body to do it again, if needed. (The big stumbling block, last I heard, was that they weren't sure how to shut the process off again once activated. Hope they figure it out soon!) Pretty cool, isn't it?

(*twice if you count the initial growth)


I had a friend on college who had a seriously scary mouth full of braces. Metal EVERYWHERE. He said part of what complicated his already very extensive need of orthadonture included the fact that he was born with three sets of teeth!

And I've heard of other (rare) people in life who wind up with lots of unexpected teeth making it to the surace of their gums during their teen years.

So this is good news to me.

I totally want new molars. (My incisors are fine. So are my canines. But by golly, those molars have me worried!)




"We're gonna need a bigger toothbrush."




:D

[cethklein]

this is a great avenue for the technology in that it goes a long way toward separating the stem cell issue from the abortion issue.

Exactly. Although I think some people will NEVER be able to separate the two. It's their loss i suppose.

Actually, there are researchers working on "replacement teeth," but not through cloning. The human body naturally creates new replacement teeth once in life*, and scientists are fairly sure they can come up with ways to convince the body to do it again, if needed. (The big stumbling block, last I heard, was that they weren't sure how to shut the process off again once activated. Hope they figure it out soon!) Pretty cool, isn't it?

(*twice if you count the initial growth(

Yeah but wouldn't you need to remove ALL of the existing teeth? Otherwise not only the missing ones would grow back in, but the ones that are still there would have new teeth come in behind them wouldn't they?

Unless they could find a way to stimulate the individual teeth to grow which seems like it would be hard to do.

[Plot Device]

From what I can see, these particular stem cell procedures do not involve the killing of fetuses. So there's no conflict for those whose opposition to stem cell research is based upon Right to Life issues.

[cethklein]

From what I can see, these particular stem cell procedures do not involve the killing of fetuses. So there's no conflict for those whose opposition to stem cell research is based upon Right to Life issues.

Oh I know that. But trust me, that won't be enough for some people. If there ae people who still believe Barack Obama is aArab or that the moon landing was filmed in a studio, you can bet there will be some who will still sue stem cell reseearch as an anti-abortion tool whether it has to do with abortion or not.

Sorry but my faith in humanity is low.

[Plot Device]

Yeah but wouldn't you need to remove ALL of the existing teeth? Otherwise not only the missing ones would grow back in, but the ones that are still there would have new teeth come in behind them wouldn't they?

Unless they could find a way to stimulate the individual teeth to grow which seems like it would be hard to do.

Don't forget the folly of the cloning company that produced all of the Lintillas in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/Minor_characters_from_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_th e_Galaxy#Lintilla

Bloody mess that was.

[astonwest]

Wonderful! This should provide great background for my current WIP when I start shopping it to agents.

[blacbird]

It's a nice development with lots of potential for a variety of applications. However, as usual, the devil is in the details. They didn't exactly "grow a new windpipe" from this woman's stem cells (check the story closely). And this does not address the issue of or need for embryonic stem cell research. Nobody objects to the use of adult stem cells, and in fact, such applications have been going on for quite some time; a bone marrow transplant is nothing more than the use of transplanted marrow stem cells to replace diseased ones.

Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to develop into any kind of tissue; adult stem cells do not, or at least we haven't been able to get them to do that, as of yet.

caw

[dgiharris]

The future is now

[kuwisdelu]

this is a great avenue for the technology in that it goes a long way toward separating the stem cell issue from the abortion issue.

From what I can see, these particular stem cell procedures do not involve the killing of fetuses. So there's no conflict for those whose opposition to stem cell research is based upon Right to Life issues.

Oh I know that. But trust me, that won't be enough for some people. If there ae people who still believe Barack Obama is aArab or that the moon landing was filmed in a studio, you can bet there will be some who will still sue stem cell reseearch as an anti-abortion tool whether it has to do with abortion or not.

Sorry but my faith in humanity is low.

I never understood this. The fetuses are already dead. Who wouldn't want to use the cells for something good, to prevent more death?

[Plot Device]

I never understood this. The fetuses are already dead. Who wouldn't want to use the cells for something good, to prevent more death?


Fear of the dreaded slippery slope:

Slippery Slope #1) Stem cell researchers reach a point of having a dire need of fetuses. They enlist the help of OB/GYN's to persuade more women to get abortions so that the resulting fetuses can be harvested.

Slippery Slope #2) A mother and a father have a child who is dying and in need of fill-in-the-blank organ. They deliberately get pregnant to produce a fetus that might be a perfect match to lend the stem cells needed to save their existing child.

Slippery Slope #3) Fetuses become a hot commodity in certain stem cell breakthroughs and start to sell for $10,000.00 a pop on the black market. Women get pregnant as often as possible to sell their fetuses for profit.

Slippery Slope #4) Nazi-style breeding programs get instituted to achieve certain fetuses with precise traits.



All of the above are entirely hypotehtical concerns, but not without merit.

[Tirjasdyn]

Actually, there are researchers working on "replacement teeth," but not through cloning. The human body naturally creates new replacement teeth once in life*, and scientists are fairly sure they can come up with ways to convince the body to do it again, if needed. (The big stumbling block, last I heard, was that they weren't sure how to shut the process off again once activated. Hope they figure it out soon!) Pretty cool, isn't it?

(*twice if you count the initial growth(

Or one & half if you're me. I'd like this...most of my grown up teeth never showed. So if they could convince my body to do it all...I'd be happy. Implants are not an option for me.

[dgiharris]

Never let rational thought get in the way of your 'beliefs'

This is one of the biggest problems with ALL religions. You pit faith agianst deduction and logic.

However, the most logical argument 'against' stem cell research is the fear that you form an industry founded on abortion, that is, you have women purposely getting pregnant and then aborting for money.

That is an ethical nightmare.

But, lets use some simple logic to deduce if this is a valid concern
According to
http://www.christianliferesources.com/?/library/view.php&articleid=1042

There are roughly 1.5M abortions per year (I've increase the number 10% just to make the math easier).

Mathematically, one question that comes up is how many stem cells per fetus are produced and how many people can be helped per fetus.

Apparently, stem cells can divide again and again so you could theoritically have an incubator spitting out stem cells

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

But, I will make an educated guess and state that one fetus can provide up to 20 peoples worth of stem cells.

Now, the next logical question is how many people are sick per year, with their sickness being treatable by Stem Cell research

Well, last year 1.5 million people had cancer.

I also tried to pull numbers on how many people were 'sick'. There is a little bit of ambiguity in that statement but it turns out that about 140 million people had one of the following conditions last year:

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc326/dgiharris/USHealthstatistics.jpg

So, lets just say that there are 140 million people per year that would utilize / need stem cells

According to Wiki,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

We spent $2.26 Trillion in health care last year. Now, for the sake of argument, lets assume that 40% of the ailments treated could be treated by stem cell research.

that equates to roughly $900 billion dollars that would be used in stem cell related treatments.

Now, lets do the math. There are 140 Million sick people and out of those 140M, 40% would be treatable by stem cells so that leaves us with 56M people however, there are only 1.5M abortions with each abortion being able to help 20 people. So 1.5M x 20 equals 30M 'peoples worth of stem cells'. That leaves us 36M 'people worth of stem cells' short.

Now, lets look at the value of these stem cells.

given that out of the $2.26 trillion, $900 Billion was stem cell applicable, and that there were 1.5 Million abortions last year. Factoring in the extra abortions needed (given the numbers above) we would need roughly 1.8M more abortions for a total of 3.3M abortions per year.

Now, dividing $900 Bilion by 3.3M abortions and the 'value' of that fetal tissue is roughly $270,000 per aborted fetus.

Now, if we give 10% of that to the 'subject' you have now created a market in which an abortion can generate you $27,000.

Now, there some of the number may be a bit off, but I think that this swag isn't too bad and if anythign may be conservative. For instance, this was assuming 100% usage of all abortive tissues and that is not accurate, thus the value per abortion would be higher. Similarly, this is assuming that a fetus would be usable for the entire year and i'm sure there are shelf life concerns. And this also assumes that the fetus is viable and i'm sure not all fetuses are 'good' sources of stem cells (i.e. mother has a disease, fetus has genetic abnormality, etc.)

all of which increases the 'worth' per fetus.

So in summary, besides the religious undertones, there is a valid concern. I think that this model proves you would need 'more abortions' than what occurs naturally. It also generates a market for abortion.

Not to say I disagree with stem cell research. This model above also shows that stem cell research will be a TRILLION DOLLAR industry!!! The economic implications are such that if America does not do it, our economy will suffer real and dire consequences as the world moves ahead of us in this technology.

Anyways, just thought it would be fun to actually do this analysis (i've never crunched the numbers on this issue).

Mel...