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One can only marvel at the way that medical science has progressed over the last few decades. Diseases that used to mow down millions of people no longer pose a threat. Organs are routinely transplanted and serious disabilities can be corrected. The list goes on and on. Scientific efforts are also ongoing and progress is made in many different fields. Stem cell research facilities believe that they are working in a field that will prove to forever change the way diseases are treated.
Patients have been receiving bone marrow transplants for a number of years. Up to now, however, only patients suffering from leukemia and certain other blood related diseases are considered to be eligible and then only as a very last resort. The blood cells of these patients are destroyed by chemo therapy and surgeons hope to encourage the growth of new and healthy cells through bone marrow transplants.
At present, bone marrow transplants can at best add a few years to the life expectancy of patients. It is not a cure for cancer. But scientists hope that new studies and ongoing efforts will eventually result in an actual cure for many different types of cancer. The complex nature of these studies necessitates a very slow pace, however. Scientists admit that a cure for cancer is still some years away.
It is not just a possible cure for cancer that interests researchers in this field. They think that bone marrow transplants will one day also be used to replace damaged cells in the brain itself. If this becomes possible, the terrible consequences of diseases like Alzheimer and other degenerative brain diseases could be turned back. Those suffering from physical brain damage and spine injuries will also benefit.
It is believed that bone marrow transplants will even be able to stimulate the growth of new cells within the heart itself. These new cells will repair the damage caused by various types of heart disease. Millions of people die due to heart conditions every year and significant progress in this area will offer uncountable benefits to patients and will change the way in which medicine is practiced.
Bone marrow transplants and its potential benefits are surrounded by controversy. Numerous critics, many of them renowned medical scientists themselves, say that these transplants are outright dangerous and that there is no indication that they actually benefit the patient. Critics also point out that the cells that are transplanted are routinely obtained from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This raises serious ethical issues and paves the way for abuse.
Many critics also lambast their colleagues studying bone marrow transplants for creating a false impression about the progress they are making. No positive results will be available for many years to come and researchers simply raise the hopes of numerous desperate patients. They accuse researchers of creating high expectations simply in order to attract even more funding for their projects and studies.
Nobody knows what marvels the future holds. However, if bone marrow transplants can one day be used to create healthy living cells to replace damaged and destroyed cells, it would be a true medical miracle indeed. Unfortunately, one will have to wait and see.
Patients have been receiving bone marrow transplants for a number of years. Up to now, however, only patients suffering from leukemia and certain other blood related diseases are considered to be eligible and then only as a very last resort. The blood cells of these patients are destroyed by chemo therapy and surgeons hope to encourage the growth of new and healthy cells through bone marrow transplants.
At present, bone marrow transplants can at best add a few years to the life expectancy of patients. It is not a cure for cancer. But scientists hope that new studies and ongoing efforts will eventually result in an actual cure for many different types of cancer. The complex nature of these studies necessitates a very slow pace, however. Scientists admit that a cure for cancer is still some years away.
It is not just a possible cure for cancer that interests researchers in this field. They think that bone marrow transplants will one day also be used to replace damaged cells in the brain itself. If this becomes possible, the terrible consequences of diseases like Alzheimer and other degenerative brain diseases could be turned back. Those suffering from physical brain damage and spine injuries will also benefit.
It is believed that bone marrow transplants will even be able to stimulate the growth of new cells within the heart itself. These new cells will repair the damage caused by various types of heart disease. Millions of people die due to heart conditions every year and significant progress in this area will offer uncountable benefits to patients and will change the way in which medicine is practiced.
Bone marrow transplants and its potential benefits are surrounded by controversy. Numerous critics, many of them renowned medical scientists themselves, say that these transplants are outright dangerous and that there is no indication that they actually benefit the patient. Critics also point out that the cells that are transplanted are routinely obtained from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This raises serious ethical issues and paves the way for abuse.
Many critics also lambast their colleagues studying bone marrow transplants for creating a false impression about the progress they are making. No positive results will be available for many years to come and researchers simply raise the hopes of numerous desperate patients. They accuse researchers of creating high expectations simply in order to attract even more funding for their projects and studies.
Nobody knows what marvels the future holds. However, if bone marrow transplants can one day be used to create healthy living cells to replace damaged and destroyed cells, it would be a true medical miracle indeed. Unfortunately, one will have to wait and see.
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