"Stem Cells Gotten From Unfertilized Eggs"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON (AP) - A procedure that encourages an egg to begin embryo development without being fertilized could suggest a new way to produce stem cells, at least for certain patients.

Researchers were able to get stem cells using unfertilized mouse eggs, they report in Thursday's online issue of the journal Science.

They are now turning their attention to eggs from people, but several problems remain to be worked out.

Stem cells can develop into many different types of tissue, making them basic building blocks of the developing body. Finding ways to produce them has become a major research focus, as these cells hold the promise to one day help repair damage from nerve-destroying illnesses such as Lou Gehrig's disease, or from spinal cord injuries or other illnesses.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20061215/D8M0VDV80.html

[Ezlivin]

1. Good. Maybe I can get out of this goddamned wheelchair

After 26 years I've all but given up hope of a cure for SCI. I can clearly remember when Christopher Reeve was injured. A lot of SCI "veterans" hoped that the injury of such a well-known figure would spark renewed research. And Christopher Reeve was a tireless worker who allowed researchers to experiment on him in hope of a cure. Reeve claimed that we'd have a cure by the time he turned 50 (or 10 years post-injury).

Sadly he was mistaken.

I've heard about the "next" cure for SCI for 26 years now. It's become a running joke with me. The cure will always be next year.

Maybe this time we can make some genuine headway. It's frustrating to see time slipping past with a cure seemingly within reach.

Go stem cells!