[extropy-chat] BIO: Stem Cell Genes

[Brett Paatsch]

Jeff Davis wrote:

> --- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury at aeiveos.com> wrote:
> > 
> > Voila -- retrodifferentiation -- turn adult cells
> > back into stem cells.  Back of the envelope guess --
> 
> > 3 to 5 years.
> 
> Too slow.  Try yesterday.
> 
> We're in the moment of "low-hanging fruit",
> genomically speaking, and the "tree" is groaning under
> its burden.  (Would that be "the tree of life"?  ;-} )

Last paragraph of the same article says:

"However, tissue regeneration is years away at best, and at the
 moment, Schultz and Ding are still working on understanding the
exact biochemical mechanism whereby reversine causes the muscle
cells to dedifferentiate into their progenitors, as well as attempting
to improve the efficiency of the process. ..."

---

The technology described in the paper Robert posted is impressive
(thanks for posting it), but its worth remembering that there are big 
differences between mice and humans developmentally. One can't
learn everything important about apples by studying only oranges. We 
(people) won't have treatments for human conditions until we
understand the human conditions. This means working with human 
cells and human genes. Then we'd need to develop and test the
prospective therapies which almost certainly involves taking them 
through a trial process (FDA approval etc).  That takes serious time
even for single conditions.

I don't want to rain on the parade. Its important though, that folks
understand that politics (based largely on religious beliefs) is slowing
down research into human developmental biology. Being well informed
means one can make a difference in this area as an activist for one's
own best interest. Politics won't stop the march of technology. It might
however slow it down enough that  those of us alive now don't stay that
way much longer than our predecessors. 

I just re-read Stephen Hall's book _The Merchants of Immortality_ 
(pub 2003).  I highly recommend it as a case study in how politics
(in this case the politics around stem cells) can slow the march of
technology. 

Regards,
Brett Paatsch