| Recent discoveries about the role of stem cells in | | | | stem cell problem. Interviewed by Vision Magazine |
| cancer have altered the landscape of cancer | | | | at the Stem Cells World Congress earlier this year |
| research, says Medical News Today. There is, | | | | in La Jolla, California, veterinarian and CEO of |
| however, a long-running philosophical rift over | | | | Vet-Stem, Robert Harmon, explained how his |
| stem cell research at both the state and federal | | | | company is currently providing stem cell therapies |
| levels. Some groups would rather focus on adult | | | | for animals. Injected into an injury or degenerated |
| stem cell research, avoiding the moral and ethical | | | | tissue, the stem cell treatment evokes healing in |
| questions about research involving embryos. While | | | | unprecedented ways. As it has been since its |
| ethical debate on human embryonic stem cells will | | | | discovery almost 400 years ago, the cell and the |
| continue, much more is occurring on the rings | | | | "vital force" that makes it the seat of biological life |
| surrounding this bull's-eye issue, including research | | | | continues to hold attention. It is likely that there |
| in both drug development and adult stem cells. | | | | will be no end to the moral and ethical questions |
| Biologists' understanding of new sources and uses | | | | and investigations. Today's new age of molecular |
| of adult and nonembryonic stem cells is advancing | | | | understanding, genomics, proteomics, gene splicing |
| rapidly. Called "niches" or "crypts," it seems that | | | | and bioengineering is barely underway. It is not |
| almost anyplace one looks in the body (nose, eye, | | | | surprising, then, that the more we know, the |
| hair follicle, intestine, bone marrow, central | | | | more we recognize how little we understand. The |
| nervous system), stem cells are being found. | | | | timeline of discovery has been exponential: from |
| From such basic knowledge, it has been reported | | | | discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953, and |
| that successful animal and human therapy using | | | | the understanding of the genetic code, gene |
| patient stem cells is already occurring. As more | | | | splicing and cell differentiation in the 60s, 70s and |
| stem cell crypts are discovered, the desire to | | | | 80s, science rapidly jumped up the learning curve |
| understand how to manipulate them within the | | | | to the cloning of whole organisms and the |
| body only becomes more acute. At the 2007 | | | | discovery of embryonic stem cells less than a |
| Annual Meeting of the American Association for | | | | decade ago. The future possibilities for the |
| Cancer Research, researchers presented new | | | | application of this knowledge seem enormous. |
| discoveries about stem cells in leukemia, breast | | | | Read the full article about Stem Cell Research and |
| and colon cancer that add to the growing | | | | interviews with speakers at the Stem Cells World |
| evidence that perhaps cancer is, fundamentally, a | | | | Conference at Vision.org. |