Letter: Adult stem cell research OK
Your Nov. 27 republication of the Freedom News Service story on the use of embryonic stem cells in research noted a small project in the area of spinal cord injuries being conducted by U.C. Irvine and Geron, a private research company. What was not addressed was that Geron dropped out of this research the week of Nov. 14, which was being conducted on a total of 10 human patients (http://singularityhub.com dated 11/21/11).
From a historical perspective, the Obama administration has invested thus far more than $430 million and California has invested $3 billion (Prop. 71 since 2004) in this "scientific" destruction of human embryos with no successful clinical trials anywhere in the world using embryos in stem cell research. However, with the use of adult stem cells, there are currently hundreds of human patients being successfully treated for more than 70 conditions entailing neural degenerative diseases and injuries (including spinal cord), varieties of cancers, auto-immune diseases, immunodeficiencies, cardiovascular conditions, ocular diseases, wounds and bone repairs and replacements, anemias and other blood diseases, metabolic disorders, as well as diseases of the liver and bladder (www.stemcellresearchfacts.org).
Further, adult stem cell research has been under way for about 50 years beginning with the research on leukemia conditions. Also, please note that adult stem cell research does not entail the cannibalization of human unborns for their parts while still in their embryonic stage of development.
Chuck Page
Yuba City
