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Thursday, 18 April 2019

Stem Cell Research Facilities Want To Revolutionize Medical Science

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By Mary Bell


One can only marvel at all the major breakthroughs that have been made in the field of medicine during the past decade or two. Cures have been found for many previously deadly diseases. People live longer and more comfortable due to new drugs and treatment methods. Doctors can now even operate on unborn babies, attach severed limbs and transplant organs. More breakthroughs are promised and stem cell research facilities say that they are on the verge of miraculous new cures.

Bone marrow transplants are nothing new. They have been performed for some years but thus far only for patients suffering from blood related cancers, such as leukemia. These patients receive chemo therapy that indiscriminately kills all blood cells. With the transplants doctors hope that that the growth of new healthy cells will be encouraged. This is still a last resort remedy, however, and the success rate is low.

Bone marrow transplants are by no means a cure for cancer. At best it can add some years to the lives of patients. Scientists are positive, however, that in time transplants will indeed become a cure for many different types of cancer. Progress is slow because scientists have to move forward with the utmost care. Transplants as a cancer cure is therefore still some years in the future.

While huge efforts are made to develop bone marrow transplants into a cure for cancer, many scientists are also studying the possibilities of these transplants in other areas. Many studies are conducted to find ways in which transplants will be able to repair brain damage caused by accidents and conditions such as strokes. They hope that it will become possible to replace damaged brain cells with healthy ones.

The possibility of using bone marrow transplants to cure heart diseases is also high on the list of priorities. If it becomes possible to grow new cells inside the heart to replace those damaged by heart diseases, many heart conditions will no longer be life threatening. Heart disease is still one of the biggest killers in the world and a major breakthrough in this area will indeed be beneficial to many millions of people.

This area of research has numerous enemies, many of them eminent scientists themselves. They say that there is no prove whatsoever that bone marrow transplants can stimulate the growth of new cells. They point out that these transplants are dangerous and that many recipients do not survive the procedure. They also point out that the cells being transplanted are often obtained from the umbilical cords of fetuses, which raises many ethical questions.

Critics also lambast researchers of exaggerating the potential of bone marrow transplants and the progress that they are making. No positive results have been published yet but the public and the medical world are nevertheless led to believe that major breakthroughs are just around the corner. This is not true, critics say. Positive results, if any, are still many years into the future.

Whether bone marrow transplants will become the new miracle cure of the future remains to be seen. One thing is certain and that is that intensive research in this area continues unabated. One can only hope that there will indeed be positive results that will save lives.




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