Scientists Grow a Liver from Stem Cells

WHAT? When did this happen? Why haven't I heard anything about ?

If you haven't heard anything about it before now, don't be surprized. The reason, it came about using umbilical cord blood stem cells. Most of the main line media in America is is the fetal stem cell camp & doesn't want the truth out there. Any success using adult or umbilical cord blood stem cells raises the question about the need to use fetal/embryonic stem cells. To listen to those like Michael J. Fox promoting it, fetal & embryonic stem cells offer the best if not the only real hope. This shows that the opposite is true. There is no need for fetal stem cell research. It is an empty promise. The real hope is already out there. It is being found time after time using adult & umbilical cord blood stem cells.

The story was reported in the online edition of The Daily Mail. The article, dated 31 Oct 2006 is titled British scientists grow human liver in a laboratory. The report tells of researchers at Newcastle University growing a"mini-liver" using umbilical cord blood stem cells. So far they have only grown pieces about an inch in diameter. The hope is to grow a full sized fully functioning liver that could be used for transplants. The researchers hope that this will be accomplished within 15 yrs. The hope is within 5 yrs to be able to grow a piece of liver tissue large enough to repair livers damaged from such things as alcohol abuse & illness. They also hpe that these larger pieces of liver will be able to be used to help those awaiting a new liver much as a dialysis machine helps those awaiting a kidney transplant.

But even those "mini-livers" have practical use now. They can be used to test drugs. Many drugs have an effect on livers that can be harmful. This is a way to test new drugs & find out potential effects on the liver before they are used on actual humans. This also will reduce the need for tests on animals.

So how did the researchers accomplish this? According to The Daily Mail article: "Working in collaboration with experts from the US, the Newcastle scientists succeeded in separating out the stem cells from blood removed from the umbilical cord minutes after birth. They are then placed in a 'bioreactor' - a piece of electrical equipment developed by NASA to mimic the effects of weightlessness. Inside this, the freedom from the force of gravity allows them to multiply more quickly than usual.

Then, various hormones and chemicals are added to coax the stem cells into turning into liver tissue. "

The researchers very enthusiastic about the possibilities of umbilical cord blood stem cells. He They are calling for a greater development of umbilical cord banks with a worldwide donor registry. These computerized registers could be used to match up people in need of a liver with matching donors.

1 of the researchers, Professor Colin McGuckin said: "One hundred million children are born around the world every year - that is 100 million different tissue types. With that number of children being born every year, we should be able to find a tissue for me and you and every other person who doesn't have stem cells banked."

Others besides those involved in the research see great potential in this line of research. Alison Rogers, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, calls this a great leap forward. "With liver disease in particular it has the potential for tremendous advances."

The reality is, there is still much work to do for this to reach its potential. As Professor Nagy Habib, of London's Hammersmith Hospital, put it: "The stem cell is going to change the way we deliver treatment. However, it won't happen tomorrow." but, it looks like it will happen.

What is sad is how all those pushing for fetal/embryonic stem cell research are quite. They talk about pie in the sky hope, yet ignore advances that offer real hope. & as I pointed out, the mainstream media is ignoring the news. According to the original article I saw on the LifeSite News website: "An online news search shows several alternative media sources covering the story along with coverage by press in Australia, India, Qatar, South Africa and Turkey, but the material is “conspicuously absent” from the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, Reuters, or any of the dominant media outlets in North America." (Media Ignores UK Breakthrough)

According to an article written by Wesley J. Smith for the Daily Standard, part of The Weekly Standard's online site: " A story that doesn't validate the stem-cell mantra that embryonic stem cells offer the "best hope" for future cures isn't worth much attention. Even the most important adult or umbilical cord blood stem-cell breakthroughs usually receive only minor, inside-the-paper coverage. This is the primary reason why so many people still don't know about the many advances being made on a continual basis in human research with ethical, adult and umbilical cord blood stem cells . . . .

Contrast this general media's shunning of this major story with its sensationalistic reporting several weeks ago of the bogus story that scientists had obtained embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos. That story, unlike the umbilical-cord-blood-stem-cells-into-liver breakthrough, got front-page play and major television coverage. It was deemed news because it was seen as undermining President Bush's stem-cell policy.

Indeed, if this new breakthrough had been accomplished with embryonic stem cells instead of umbilical cord blood stem cells, the headlines would have been enormous. The second paragraph of the stories would have accused President Bush of holding up potentially life-saving cures. Notable scientists and bioethicists would have been touting the new dawn of regenerative medicine that was coming into being, despite Bush's resistance.

Instead, we hear the sound of silence--thanks to the news blockade that doesn't care much about stem-cell breakthroughs unless they come from destroyed embryos. " (The Big Stem-Cell Breakthrough)

"Sadly, the research breakthrough just wasn't up to rigorous US media standards since the scientists didn't use the right kind of stem cells. But they shouldn't lose hope! They still have time to receive American media acclaim. All they have to do is go back to the lab and do it again--only this time with mouse embryonic stem cells. Then, the New York Times is sure to put their pictures on the front page. " (As Expected, American Media Maintain News Blockade on Artificial Liver)

He's right. You'd think by now that the so-called main stream media (MSM) would have learned its lesson about ignoring facts that counter their agenda. The blogosphere will eventually show them up leaving them with more egg on their faces & even less credibility. This news will be spread & bring true hope to many of those who are currently holding onto the empty hope they are being offered. As it does, it will just put more nails in the MSM's coffin. & rather then deal with it by changing & being honest, they will rail against the bloggers & blame them. Their death throws will be sad to watch. BUt they will have no 1 to blame but themselves if it happens.