2 blaazed Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago. Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy. They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had been successfully treated with stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Though they cautioned that more research was needed and verification from international experts was required, the South Korean researchers said Hwang's case could signal a leap forward in the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The use of stem cells from cord blood could also point to a way to side-step the ethical dispute over the controversial use of embryos in embryonic stem-cell research. "We have glimpsed at a silver lining over the horizon," said Song Chang-Hoon, a member of the research team and a professor at Chosun University's medical school in the southwestern city of Kwangju. "We were all surprised at the fast improvements in the patient." Under TV lights and flashing cameras, Hwang stood up from her wheelchair and shuffled forward and back a few paces with the help of the frame at the press conference here on Thursday. "This is already a miracle for me," she said. "I never dreamed of getting to my feet again." Medical research has shown stem cells can develop into replacement cells for damaged organs or body parts. Unlocking that potential could see cures for diseases that are at present incurable, or even see the body generate new organs to replace damaged or failing ones. So-called "multipotent" stem cells -- those found in cord blood -- are capable of forming a limited number of specialised cell types, unlike the more versatile "undifferentiated" cells that are derived from embroyos. However, these stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood have emerged as an ethical and safe alternative to embryonic stem cells. Clinical trials with embryonic stem cells are believed to be years away because of the risks and ethical problems involved in the production of embryos -- regarded as living humans by some people -- for scientific use. In contrast, there is no ethical dimension when stem cells from umbilical cord blood are obtained, according to researchers. Additionally, umbilical cord blood stem cells trigger little immune response in the recipient as embryonic stem cells have a tendency to form tumors when injected into animals or human beings. For the therapy, multipotent stem cells were isolated from umbilical cord blood, which had been frozen immediately after the birth of a baby and cultured for a period of time. Then these cells were directly injected to the damaged part of the spinal cord. "Technical difficulties exist in isolating stem cells from frozen umbilical cord blood, finding cells with genes matching those of the recipient and selecting the right place of the body to deliver the cells," said Han Hoon, president of Histostem, a government-backed umbilical cord blood bank in Seoul. Han teamed up with Song and other experts for the experiment. They say that more experiments are required to verify the outcome of the landmark therapy. "It is just one case and we need more experiments, more data," said Oh Il-Hoon, another researcher. "I believe experts in other countries have been conducting similar experiments and accumulating data before making the results public." http://sg.news.yahoo.com/041128/1/3...ml#unbelievable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abracadabra Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 fuckin hollerific, that's awesome. go korea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinup Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 So wait... North or South Korea ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatalist Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 damn, that's fuckin awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T=E=A=S=E Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 medicine sure is amazing. wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_El Mamerro Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 GO BUSH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overtime Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 hell yeah, now if only they could make christopher reeves walk.....oh wait,,,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzep Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 fuck yes, those guys are fucking geniuses. A++ South Korea, A++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackfatsoe Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 reminds me of the south park when christopher reeves sucked the blood out of dead babies to gain the strength to walk. woot woot stem cell research woot woot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kr430n5_666 Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferris Bueller Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 I was thinking the same thing Mams was thinking. Thank you, President Bush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duh-rye-won Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 that's pretty incredible. but this shit really scares the shit out of me. i'm not against it. it just scares me. when we are old dudes chillin in the 12oz retirement home, the world is going to be a very wild place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effyoo Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 if you want to debate the ethics of this, i won't front, i'll be the first to say that science like this should be encouaged no matter what your beliefs are. if you disagree, just wait until someone you love has trouble walking due to possible nerve damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duh-rye-won Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 i SAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIID i wasn't against it. sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
effyoo Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE, i was just responding to the topic in general. but yeah, think about how crazy things are going to be in 2064. my grandpa was the first guy to own a car in his town and he died knowing how to use the internet. what will papa effyoo be telling stories about then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earmuffs Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Originally posted by effyoo@Nov 30 2004, 02:55 AM what will papa effyoo be telling stories about then? Quoted post how about gettin drunk with tt boy and I... Throwin beer bottles out of the 21 story hotel room, and eating big bite combos for four days straight. those are the golden years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_El Mamerro Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Originally posted by Ferris Bueller@Nov 30 2004, 04:02 AM I was thinking the same thing Mams was thinking. Thank you, President Bush. Quoted post Well, to be perfectly honest, Bush wouldn't be against this project, since the cells come from umbillical cords. It's embryonic stem cells he's against. But whatever... fuck Bush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatalist Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 RIP Superman..... wish you would have had this chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatalist Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 RIP Superman..... wish you would have had this chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzep Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Originally posted by El Mamerro@Nov 30 2004, 09:36 AM Well, to be perfectly honest, Bush wouldn't be against this project, since the cells come from umbillical cords. It's embryonic stem cells he's against. But whatever... fuck Bush. Quoted post well, if for any reason he opposes it, we could always throw nancy raegan at him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villain Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 wow... incredible. and yeah the world is becoming very wild. i'm wondering when the genetic wilderbeasts will be coming out or supersoldiers or something. Or maybe a blob like akira that just eats everything.... Dual use technology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 i want nanotechnology in my penis. For what, I don't know. I just want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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