By Karen Kaplan Times Staff Writer Fri May 20, 7:55 AM ET
South Korean scientists have surmounted a key hurdle in stem cell research, reporting Thursday that they have produced 11 human embryo clones of injured or sick patients and harvested individualized stem cells — a template for creating therapeutic cells for anyone.
The experiment involved male and female patients ranging in age from 2 to 56 and produced stem cells much more efficiently than before, validating the technology's medical feasibility.
The findings were reported by the same team that produced the first human embryo clones last year.
If the process can be replicated in other labs, scientists said they could create individualized lines of stem cells to produce tissues suitable for transplants without running the risk of rejection.
So that should end the opposition from the evangelical Christians.
I was delighted to hear this news! I've been sitting around on my fat ass for 2 years waiting to have an organ transplant. If this works out, I could grow my own, have it implanted and have no rejection problem. No immune suppressant drugs to take for the rest of my life!
But I started thinking; rather than replace one vital organ, why not grow a whole new body and transplant my brain into it? Imagine having the body of a 15 year old and the mind of someone in their forties?
Sounds like a winner to me! The Christians can wait to get theirs in heaven, but I'll take mine now, thank you.
