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Post by ML Fan on Oct 17, 2006 2:03:38 GMT -5
Stem Cell Transplant Shows Promise Against ALS Mon Oct 16, 7:03 PM ET MONDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- New stem cell research in rats may lead to treatments that slow amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Grafting human stem cells into the lower spine of rats bred to duplicate the neurological illness delayed the start of nerve cell damage associated with the disease and slightly prolonged the life of the rats, say scientists at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. The stem cells developed into nerve cells and created extensive connections with existing nerve cells in the rats' spines. The transplanted stem cells did not succumb to ALS, the Hopkins team found. The study was published in this week's issue of the journal Transplantation. "We were extremely surprised to see that the grafted stem cells were not negatively affected by the degenerating cells around them, as many feared introducing healthy cells into a diseased environment would only kill them," researcher Dr. Vassilis Koliatsos, associate professor of pathology and neurosciences, said in a prepared statement. All the rats in this study did eventually die of ALS. However, the results provide "proof of principle" for stem-cell grafts, Koliatsos said. In the next phase of this research, his team plans to graft stem cells along the full length of the rats' spines to study the effect of the intervention on nerves and muscles in the rodents' upper body. In the current study, Koliatsos and his colleagues, "only injected cells in the lower spine, affecting only the nerves and muscles below the waist. The nerves and muscles above the waist, especially those in the chest responsible for breathing, were not helped by these transplanted stem cells." Much more research needs to be done before there's any possibility of using this technique in humans, Koliatsos added. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061016/hl_hsn/stemcelltransplantshowspromiseagainstals
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Post by dutch on Nov 8, 2006 0:13:56 GMT -5
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Post by ML Fan on Dec 11, 2006 13:15:44 GMT -5
"Inkjet" printer helps organize stem cells By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Mon Dec 11, 9:00 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An "inkjet"-style printer for stem cells may help scientists put the precious master cells to good use, U.S. researchers said on Sunday. A team of bioengineers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh joined forces with stem cell biologists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to create the system, which they eventually hope will help them make stem cells grow into complex tissues. Stem cells are like the raw clay of the body, undifferentiated into specific tissue types such as brain cells, skin cells or liver cells. Doctors hope they hold the key to a whole range of regenerative therapies, but they are tricky to find and to work with. And it is not always easy to get them to mature into the desired cells. Tissue is complex, made up of a variety of different types of cells, and they must be layered together in the right pattern to work properly. Julie Jadlowiec Phillippi of Carnegie Mellon and her colleagues worked with mouse stem cells, so-called adult stem cells, meaning they are partly down the route of development. These particular stem cells were muscle-derived stem cells, destined to become a variety of bone and muscle cells, she told a meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Diego. To get stem cells to differentiate, or develop into desired cell types, scientists use proteins called growth factors and other nurturing proteins. Each cell type requires a different protein recipe to nudge it down the right path. The Pittsburgh team came up with a system to make the cells develop into a useful pattern that resembles the complex pattern of cells seen in real bone. "It's a glass slide 1 inch by 1 inch, (2.54 cm by 2.54 cm)," Jadlowiec Phillippi said in a telephone interview. They laid down a layer of nurturing proteins as a base, and then used a robotic inkjet-style machine to squirt tiny quantities of various proteins down on top, in a specific pattern. "It is like laying ink on paper," she said. "It's a blueprint for cells to live and grow and differentiate with." Then the stem cells are placed on top of this pattern to grow. "Depending on which pattern they are on top of, they become one lineage or another," Jadlowiec Phillippi said. The mouse cells began to grow into bone-type cells, she told the meeting. Those not grown on the protein pattern matured on their own into muscle-type cells, she said. "Now we are looking at making cartilage and fat cells," she said. The technique is a long way from being used on real human patients, she cautioned. "We don't fully understand what patterns we need to heal and injury with," she said. Teams at Pittsburgh have also used muscle-derived stem cells to repair diseased tissue in animals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, heart failure and bone defects. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061211/us_nm/stemcells_inkjet_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Jan 3, 2007 21:52:47 GMT -5
Stem cells regenerate teeth in pigs, study says Wed Jan 3, 5:26 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using stem cells harvested from the extracted wisdom teeth of young adults, researchers have successfully generated tooth root and supporting tooth ligaments to support a crown restoration in experiments using miniature pigs. The restored tooth mirrored the original tooth in function and strength, the research team reports in the December issue of the open access medical journal PLoS ONE. The technique holds promise for use in humans, the investigators say. Stem cells are the master cells of the body that give rise to all the blood and tissue in the body. Dr. Songtao Shi said: "In this study, we use stem cell technology to generate 'a bio-root and periodontal tissue' along with dental clinical porcelain crown technique to restore tooth function in swine (mini-pig)." Shi, from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, added. "This is a hybridized approach (stem cell and clinical technologies) leading to reconstruction of functional tooth in an animal model similar to human." The researchers hope to test their technique in humans within the next several years. If successful, it could be especially attractive to dental patients who are not good candidates for dental implants or would prefer living tissue derived from their own teeth. "Implant patients must have sufficient bone in the jaw to support the implant. For those who don't, this therapy would be a great alternative," Shi said in a statement. SOURCE: Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE, December 2006. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/hl_nm/health_stemcell_teeth_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Jan 7, 2007 17:52:22 GMT -5
Human stem cells found in amniotic fluid: report By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Stem cells nearly as powerful as embryonic stem cells can be found in the amniotic fluid that protects babies in the womb, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday. They used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory and said they believe the placenta and amniotic fluid can provide one more source of the valued cells, which scientists hope will someday transform medicine. They would also provide a non-controversial source of the cells, which are found with difficulty throughout the body and in days-old embryos. Embryonic cells are considered the most malleable of the various types of stem cells, but these amniotic fluid-derived cells are a close second, said Dr. Anthony Atala, of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who led the study. "Our hope is that these cells will provide a valuable resource for tissue repair and for engineered organs as well," Atala said in a statement. "I feel these cells are pluripotent like human embryonic stem cells." Pluripotent means the cells can give rise to any type of tissue in the body -- blood, nerve, muscle, and so on. Adult stem cells, found in the tissues and blood of fetuses, babies and adults, are already partly differentiated and are less adaptable. The use of human embryonic stem cells is controversial in some countries, including the United States. President Bush has restricted federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, although researchers using private money can do as they please and Congress, even before the Democrats took over, was planning ways to encourage more research. PROVEN PROPERTIES Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, Atala and colleagues described how they have spent seven years proving the properties of these cells. "It has been known for decades that both the placenta and amniotic fluid contain multiple progenitor cell types from the developing embryo, including fat, bone, and muscle," Atala said. "We asked the question, 'Is there a possibility that within this cell population we can capture true stem cells?' The answer is yes." They used discarded samples from amniocentesis, a test used to check fetuses for birth defects. The cells come from the fetus, which breathes and sucks in, then excretes, the amniotic fluid throughout pregnancy, Atala told reporters in a telephone conference. Tests in mice showed the stem cells could be used to replace damaged brain cells, and could be "printed" onto structures using technology similar to that seen in inkjet printers to make bone tissue. Like embryonic stem cells, they appear to thrive in lab dishes for years, while normal cells, called somatic cells, die after a time. "They are easier to grow than human embryonic stem cells," Atala added in a telephone interview. And, unlike embryonic stem cells, they do not form a type of benign tumor called a teratoma, he said. Atala said a bank with 100,000 specimens of the amniotic stem cells theoretically could supply 99 percent of the U.S. population with perfect genetic matches for transplants. They are not found in cord blood, a source of a different type of stem cell used mostly to treat leukemia. But they could be banked in much the same way cord blood is now banked, Atala said. "This is early work," Atala cautioned. "It is still several years away before we try this in a patient." Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070107/hl_nm/stemcells_fluid_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Apr 10, 2007 18:21:49 GMT -5
Stem cell transplant promising for type 1 diabetes NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a small study, a treatment that included stem cell transplantation induced prolonged insulin independence in patients with newly diagnosed type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes. In a statement, lead author Dr. Julio C. Voltarelli, from the Regional Blood Center in Ribeiro Preto, Brazil, called the results "very encouraging." While the same approach has been used in other autoimmune disorders, the current study, to the author's knowledge, represents the first time the approach has been used in human type 1 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, a person's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Preserving beta cells is a key concept in the management of type 1 diabetes and in the prevention of its related complications. Voltarelli's team tested the ability of high-dose immune suppression and stem cell transplantation to preserve beta cell function in 15 patients who were diagnosed with type I diabetes in the previous 6 weeks. All of them required insulin. Stem cell transplantation involves the harvesting and treatment of a patient's own stem cells and then returning them to the patient via intravenous injection. During follow up, 14 patients became insulin-free -- 1 for 35 months, 4 for at least 12 months, and 7 patients for at least 6 months. Two "late responders" were insulin-free for 1 and 5 months, respectively. The therapy was well tolerated; the only severe side effects were pneumonia in one patient and endocrine dysfunction in two others. While further study is needed, Dr. Jay S. Skyler, from the University of Miami, comments in a related editorial, "the time may indeed be coming for starting to reverse and prevent type I diabetes." SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, April 11, 2007. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070410/hl_nm/stem_cell_transplant_promising_type1_dia_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Jun 6, 2007 10:29:34 GMT -5
Scientists plan stem cell cure for blindness By Ben Hirschler Tue Jun 5, 2007 LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists plan to use stem cells to cure a common form of blindness, with the first patients receiving test treatment in five years. The pioneering project, launched on Tuesday, aims to repair damaged retinas with cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Its backers say it involves simple surgery that could one day become as routine as cataract operations. They believe the technique is capable of restoring vision in the vast majority of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness among the elderly that afflicts around 14 million people in Europe. Some drugs, like Genentech Inc.'s Lucentis, can help the one in 10 patients with so-called "wet" AMD and U.S. biotech firm Advanced Cell Technology is looking at stem cells in other eye conditions. But there is no treatment for the 90 percent with "dry" AMD. AMD is caused by faulty retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which form a supporting carpet under the light-sensitive rods and cones in the retina. The new procedure will generate replacement RPE cells from stem cells in the lab, with surgeons then injecting a small patch of new cells, measuring 4 by 6 millimeters, back into the eye. U.S. DONOR The London Project to Cure AMD brings together scientists from University College London (UCL), Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and the University of Sheffield. It has been made possible by a 4 million pounds ($8 million) donation from an anonymous U.S. donor, who the project's leaders said had become frustrated by U.S. curbs on stem cell work. Embryonic stem cells are the ultimate master cells of the body, giving rise to all of the tissues and organs. Their use is controversial because many people oppose embryo destruction, although Britain has encouraged such research. Surgeons at Moorfields have already restored the vision of a few patients using cells harvested from their own eyes, which were moved to a new site. But this process is complicated and only a small number of cells can be moved, limiting its use. By injecting RPE cells derived from stem cells instead, Dr Lyndon Da Cruz of Moorfields hopes the operation can be reduced to a simple 45-minute procedure under local anesthetic. "If it hasn't become routine in about 10 years it would mean we haven't succeeded," he told reporters. "It has to be something that's available to large numbers of people." Similar tests on rats have already proved highly effective. Pete Coffey of UCL, the director of the project, said he was confident the procedure would work in humans but the team needed to ensure the safety and quality of batches of cells, which would take time. "The goal is within five years to have a cohort of 10 or 12 patients to put the cells into," he said. The project, which is non-commercial, was welcomed by patient support groups. Alistair Fielder of the eye research charity Fight for Sight said it represented a real chance to tackle a hitherto untreatable condition. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070605/sc_nm/stemcells_blindness_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Jun 7, 2007 0:04:33 GMT -5
Teams mimic stem cells using skin cells By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer NEW YORK - In a leap forward for stem cell research, three independent teams of scientists reported Wednesday that they have produced the equivalent of embryonic stem cells in mice using skin cells without the controversial destruction of embryos. If the same could be done with human skin cells — a big if — the procedure could lead to breakthrough medical treatments without the contentious ethical and political debates surrounding the use of embryos. Experts were impressed by the achievement. "I think it's one of the most exciting things that has come out about embryonic stem cells, period," said researcher Dr. Asa Abeliovich of Columbia University in New York, who didn't participate in the work. "It's very convincing that it's real." But he and others cautioned that it will take further study to see whether this scientific advance can be harnessed for creating new human therapies. For one thing, the procedure used to get the mouse skin cells to mimic embryonic stem cells wouldn't be suitable. And it's simply not known whether the mouse results can be reproduced with human cells. "We have a long way to go," said John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University, a stem cell researcher who also wasn't involved in the new work. In any case, scientists said, the advance does not mean that research that involves getting stem cells from human embryos should now be abandoned. "We simply don't know which approach ... will work the best," said researcher Konrad Hochedlinger of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, who led one of the three teams. Embryonic stem cells are prized because they can develop into all types of tissue. So experts believe they might be used for transplant therapies in people who are paralyzed or have illnesses ranging from diabetes to Parkinson's disease. To harvest human embryonic stem cells, embryos must be destroyed, an action many people oppose. Scientists have long hoped to find a way to reprogram ordinary body cells to act like stem cells, avoiding the use of embryos altogether. The new mouse studies seem to have accomplished that. Past experiments seeking alternative routes to getting stem cells have generally involved tampering with an embryo or egg. At a press conference Wednesday, Hochedlinger and a member of a second team said their work was not an attempt to evade the ethical objections to embryo destruction. Instead, they said, the goal was to learn how cell reprogramming works. But in a telephone interview, a prominent critic of embryonic stem cell research welcomed the new work on ethical terms. "This is what we were looking for people to explore because it may provide all the advantages of embryonic stem cells without the moral problem," said Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of pro-life activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "So I'm very encouraged." Hochedlinger and colleagues present their work in the inaugural issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. (The first word in the journal's name refers to its publisher, Cell Press). The other two teams reported their results Wednesday on the Web site of the journal Nature. Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Mass., is the senior author of one paper, and the work behind the other paper was led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan. The new work builds on a landmark paper Yamanaka published last August. He found that by slipping four genes into mouse skin cells called fibroblasts, he could make the altered cells behave much like embryonic stem cells in lab tests. But these so-called "iPS" cells still showed significant differences from embryonic stem cells. The three new papers report on creating iPS cells that proved virtually identical to stem cells in a variety of lab tests. The technique used in the mouse studies could promote cancer in any patients getting therapy based on iPS cells, so researchers emphasized that a new approach that avoids that hazard would have to be developed. Gearhart called that a major issue to be resolved. In addition, he said, scientists still must show that these cells can give rise to many cell types in the lab, as embryonic stem cells can. And all this must be accomplished in human cells — a difficult task, he said, because introducing genes into human cells is a major challenge. If the technique can be harnessed for people, the iPS cells and the tissue they develop into would provide a genetic match to the person who donated the skin cells. That would make them suitable for transplant to that person, theoretically without fear of rejection. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070606/ap_on_sc/stem_cells
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Post by ML Fan on Aug 27, 2007 9:49:45 GMT -5
Human stem cells heal the hearts of rats By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Sunday Aug 26, 2007 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A nutritious cocktail helped human embryonic stem cells thrive and repair the damaged hearts of rats, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday. The experiment provides the best evidence yet that the powerful but controversial stem cells might be used to repair the ravages of heart attacks and heart failure, the researchers said. Biotechnology company Geron Corp said it would try to develop the cells into a product. "We're developing our cardiomyocyte product, GRNCM1, to address the large unmet need in heart failure," said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and chief executive officer of Geron. Stem cells are the body's master cell, acting as a source for the various cells and tissues in the body. Those taken from days-old embryos, called embryonic stem cells, are the most malleable and can produce all of the cell types. Their use is controversial because some people oppose the destruction of a human embryo. U.S. President George W. Bush has kept strict limits on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research. There are no restrictions on privately funded researchers. Okarma said embryonic stem cells were the only human stem cells that had been shown to form cardiomyocytes -- heart muscle cells. Because embryonic stem cells are so immature, it is very difficult to control what kinds of cells they produce, and the fear is that a tooth could grow inside a heart, for instance. "We got stem cells to differentiate into mostly cardiac muscle cells, and then got those cardiac cells to survive and thrive in the damaged rat heart," said Dr. Chuck Murry of the University of Washington's Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, who worked on the study. But the cells died when they injected them into the hearts of the rats, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology. COMMON PROBLEM "This problem is not unique to our system. Death of transplanted cells is slowing research progress in cell therapy for diabetes, Parkinson's disease and muscular dystrophy, among other diseases," they wrote. So the team developed what they dubbed a "survival cocktail" that included various proteins and other compounds to stop the cells from dying. It worked. When they caused heart attacks in the rats and then injected the new heart muscle cells, every graft survived and integrated into the hearts of the rats. They beat in rhythm and improved the heart function of the rats, they reported. "This is one of the most successful attempts so far using cells to repair solid tissues -- every one of the treated hearts had a well-developed tissue graft," Murry said. This is key to treating someone after a heart attack, known medically as a myocardial infarction, said Dr. Michael Laflamme, who also worked on the study. "This sort of treatment could help the heart rebound from an infarction and retain more of its function afterwards," Laflamme said in a statement. An estimated 865,000 people have heart attacks in the United States every year and more than a third eventually develop heart failure, a chronic condition in which the heart fails to pump blood properly. A third of heart failure patients die within two years. Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070826/sc_nm/heart_stemcells_dc
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Post by ML Fan on Mar 23, 2008 19:14:08 GMT -5
Cloned cells treat Parkinson's in mice By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Sunday Mar 23, 2008 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who used cloned embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease in mice said on Sunday they worked better than other cells. The researchers were trying to prove that it is possible to make embryonic stem cells using cloning technology and use them to provide a tailor-made treatment. But they found that a mouse's own cloned stem cells were far less disruptive to its body than cloned cells taken from other mice. "It demonstrated what we suspected all along -- that genetically matched tissue works better," said Viviane Tabar of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York, who worked on the study. "When you give the other type of tissue, non-autologous tissue, you get more inflammation than we anticipated. This is in a lab animal where we expect it to be tolerant. Normally when you do this in mice, you don't give matched cells," Tabar added in a telephone interview. The mice given non-matched brain cells did more poorly than the mice given cells from their own clones, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Medicine. Stem cells are the master cells of the body and embryonic stem cells are the ultimate master cells, giving rise to all the other cells and tissue. Cloning researchers hope one day to be able to take a little piece of skin and grow embryonic stem cells from it for personal, tailor-made medical treatments. One disease always named that may benefit from this technology is Parkinson's. The incurable, fatal illness is caused by the destruction of specific brain cells. THERAPEUTIC CLONING It is sometimes treated with transplants of brain cells from cadavers or aborted fetuses. Stem cell researchers have argued that cloning technology might provide a better source of cells for treatment. Tabar and his team first created a Parkinson's-like disease in mice using chemicals to destroy their brain cells. They took ordinary cells from the tails of the mice, transferred the nuclei from them into hollowed-out mouse eggs cells, and made clones of the mice. This process is called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or "therapeutic cloning." The cloned embryos were harvested for their stem cells after a few days. The researchers grew these in the lab and coaxed them into becoming the so-called dopaminergic brains cells that are lost in Parkinson's. They put these into the brains of the injured mice. These mice got better, Tabar said. No one has done this before. "It's incredibly hard and it involves a series of inefficient steps," Tabar said. Several researchers have made cells that look and act like embryonic stem cells by reprogramming their genes. Tabar said her team would try using these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells in the same way. Some people oppose using cloning technology to make human embryonic stem cells, or to creating human embryos for this purpose. It is also difficult to obtain human egg cells. Scientists hope the induced pluripotent stem cells might provide a short cut that no one would object to. "This is an exciting step down the pathway of creating a self-specific stem cell and getting away from the ethical demands of traditional embryonic stem cells," said Richard Boyd, Deputy Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories in Victoria, Australia. (Edited by Alan Elsner) Here's the link, news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080323/sc_nm/cloning_parkinsons_dc
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Post by Blue on May 21, 2008 3:12:06 GMT -5
Link: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080519/ap_on_re_eu/britain_embryos&printer=1;_ylt=ArlyDF.K7W6AvJrWzj4n86BbbBAFUK lawmakers approve embryo research By DAVID STRINGER, Associated Press WriterMon May 19, 7:07 PM ET British lawmakers voted Monday to approve controversial plans to allow the use of animal-human embryos for research. The proposed laws, the first major review of embryo science in Britain for almost 20 years, have provoked stormy debate — pitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown and scientists against religious leaders, anti-abortion campaigners and a large number of lawmakers. Brown has said he believes scientists seeking to use mixed animal-human embryos for stem cell research into diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are on a moral mission to improve — and save — millions of lives. The process involves injecting an empty cow or rabbit egg with human DNA. A burst of electricity is then used to trick the egg into dividing regularly, so that it becomes a very early embryo, from which stem cells can be extracted. Scientists say the embryos would not be allowed to develop for more than 14 days, and are intended to address the shortage of human embryos available for stem cell research. By allowing such mixed embryo experiments, Britain is expected to maintain its reputation as a leading center for stem cell research. Unlike the United States, where such research is tightly controlled, British scientists say the progressive environment in the U.K. has led to many firsts, including the world's first test tube baby and cloned animal. Legislation in Britain might also influence other European countries where such research is pursued. Chinese laws on stem cell and embryology research also closely mirror those in Britain. "I believe that we owe it to ourselves and future generations to introduce these measures, and in particular, to give our unequivocal backing within the right framework of rules and standards, to stem cell research," Brown wrote Sunday in an op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper. But opponents warn that an easing of laws on creating the embryos could lead to the genetic engineering of human beings.Legislators voted 336 to 176 against a proposed ban on research using animal-human embryos and by 286 to 223 against a separate proposal covering a specific type of animal-human embryos. Human Genetics Alert, a science watchdog in favor of the ban, claims the laws could lead to the creation of genetically modified "designer babies.""Once we start down the road to human genetic modification, it will be very difficult to turn back," the group warned in a briefing paper for lawmakers. Opposition Conservative lawmaker Edward Leigh, who tabled an amendment seeking to ban the practice, said the technique was a step too far for science. "In many ways we are like children playing with land mines without any concept of the dangers of the technology that we are handling," he said in the House of Commons. Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology law, which regulates all stem cell and embryology research, was drafted in 1990. Brown has said it must be completely redrawn to take account of scientific advances. Debate on other aspects of the bill are to be debated Tuesday. A final vote is expected in the coming weeks.
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Post by shywriter on Jul 24, 2009 14:01:53 GMT -5
Here it is, just a month after the Pulse, and I'm sitting here in a Starbucks (in a college town, BTW) and a couple college age guys run into each other. Sez one: "So what's the dealio?" (bear in mind this "college town" is pretty much behind the times and the guys look like Central Casting's 1980's versions of geeks... but still... ) (and yes, I'm working in this Starbuck's. My office when working locally ... ;D)
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Post by mari on Jul 24, 2009 16:57:36 GMT -5
Here it is, just a month after the Pulse, and I'm sitting here in a Starbucks (in a college town, BTW) and a couple college age guys run into each other. Sez one: "So what's the dealio?" (bear in mind this "college town" is pretty much behind the times and the guys look like Central Casting's 1980's versions of geeks... but still... ) ;D Could somebody please give me a list of words and idioms from DA I should not use in public? (Good thing I haven’t watched the show un-dubbed that often) (and yes, I'm working in this Starbuck's. My office when working locally ... ;D) You would have made such a good turn of the century Vienna coffee house intellectual. ;D
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Post by shywriter on Jul 24, 2009 18:03:12 GMT -5
Could somebody please give me a list of words and idioms from DA I should not use in public? (Good thing I haven’t watched the show un-dubbed that often) I'm not an expert at all, but I can't think of any that would provide embarrassment other than the 'embarrassment' of using a bit of stale slang from 2000 or so -- and believe me, slang can be stale on either coast by the time it reaches the Midwest, for example, so if you got a funny look, you could just say the idiom is still very hip in Germany! Not the intellectual part, but it is still the turn of the century, and I certainly contributed to the coffers of a few Vienna coffee houses not too long ago! (oh, but you meant the last century's turn... ;D)
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Post by mari on Jul 25, 2009 7:54:17 GMT -5
I'm not an expert at all, but I can't think of any that would provide embarrassment other than the 'embarrassment' of using a bit of stale slang from 2000 or so -- and believe me, slang can be stale on either coast by the time it reaches the Midwest, for example, so if you got a funny look, you could just say the idiom is still very hip in Germany! Thanks. (Love the idea of slang moving-patterns) And certainly still hip in my part of in the woods- Germany. Not the intellectual part, but it is still the turn of the century, and I certainly contributed to the coffers of a few Vienna coffee houses not too long ago! There are more efficient ways to make your Koffer lighter. ;D
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