[extropy-chat] More on TriStem

[Greg Burch]

If this turns out to be a real, reproducible development, isn't it the holy
grail of tissue engineering?  I'd like to hear the thoughts of our resident
bio-nuts.

GB
http://www.gregburch.net/burchismo.html
  -----Original Message-----
  From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org]On Behalf Of Giu1i0 Pri5c0
  Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2003 1:13 AM
  To: wta-talk at transhumanism.org; extropy-chat at extropy.org
  Subject: [extropy-chat] More on TriStem


  From SciScoop, more coverage of the new medical technology developed by
the UK company TriStem: a process to convert easily-isolated white blood
cells into stem cells which it can further culture to replace any defective
tissue in the body. Current scientific dogma holds that once a stem cell has
differentiated into mature body tissue like a blood cell, the transformation
cannot be reversed. TriStem says it can. If true, not only has TriStem
bypassed the current need to obtain stem cells from human embryos for
research; it has revolutionized the very foundation of medicine. This could
transform the treatment of everything from heart disease to Parkinson.
  To say that other scientists have been sceptical of TriStem's claims is an
understatement. "I would be extremely sceptical of these findings and would
need more proof," says stem cell expert Evan Snyder of the Burnham Institute
in La Jolla, California. And yet, TriStem has apparently taken white blood
cells of lab mice, converted them back into stem cells, further treated the
stem cells to make them into blood-producing bone marrow cells, and injected
the new bone marrow cells into the bones of the mice, where the cells took
up the duty of making blood. All of this research effort was performed under
the watchful eye of a third-party U.S. research laboratory team.
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