Paralyzed woman walks again after stem cell therapy

[tuvor]

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.

Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago.

Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea (news - web sites) researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy.

They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had been successfully treated with stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&e=9&u=/afp/health_stemcell_paralysis_skorea

[Pirate Smile]

1. Laura will be so upset. This may give people false hope.

[Vincardog]

2. Science TRUMPS religion again

[AlFrankenFan]

42. Amen, amen!!!

n/t

[James T. Kirk]

47. So, you are saying that umbilical cord stem cells are against a religion?

Which religion opposes stem cell research using umbilical cord stem cells?

Perhaps you were thinking of embryonic stem cells, to which the miraculous (and dubious) cure were NOT attributed.

[Vincardog]

58. No I am saying that science has found the next step in curing people in

spite of sanctimonious hypocrites trying to impose religious values on the rest of us. aWoL worships one thing only MONEY.

[bones_7672]

66. No major religious group opposes using umbilical cord stem cells. n/t

[Vincardog]

70. The embryonic cells are going to be destroyed anyway

There are thousands of them being destroyed every month. The question is why not get some benefit from them? They were created in the hope that they might be used to give someone a baby. They have expired. No one wants to pay to keep them frozen. What religion refuses to allow crippled people the chance for cure? On what Basis?

[bones_7672]

104. maybe because

there is no controversy over using umbillical stem cells (usc). USC works, there would be little funding problems with them. USC does everything embryonic stems cells do and even more, without the "image problem". Why bother with the hassels?

[Canuckistanian]

88. The uneducated will see "stem cells"

... and just shut down the debate.

[Seabiscuit]

80. The fundies must imagine she's the Bride of Frankenstein!

[Crush T Velour]

85. Yet another miracle NOT brought to you by embryonic stem cell research

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood: Proven 100% more effective than embryonic stem cells (which so far have only been proven effective in developing tumors).

Also, umbiblical cord blood has NO ethical side-effects.

So why spend a dime on embryonic stem cell research?

[Pachamama]

91. Maybe because the embryotic stemcells are even more powerful in their

use for treatments & for cures than the umbilical ones? This is why Scientists and Doctors want too....

Very good reason if you ask me....that's why I live in a state that believes in science and we just voted on a bond measure to support & fund stem cell research....

:bounce: :party:

[Crush T Velour]

94. Based on what empirical data?

Why not spend your State's limited money on something that has actually SHOWN potential?

What is the ideological impetus to hop on that fantastical boat when a treatment is already showing progress in the short term (non-embryonic stem-cells)?

[Pachamama]

109. How about the data that is already coming from results from privately

funded labs such as the Hughes Foundation in Bethesda, MD....I have a family member who is a scientist there and some of the test results they are showing are tremendous....

Ofcourse your familiar with those studies right? And you believe in science and incredible possibilities it opens up for all of us to treat and cure diseases that kill so many, make others suffer terribly and those like Chris Reeve who can't walk, walk again?

I by the way am very proud of my state having approved this bond measure overwhelmingly and it will be a great thing for science and for our state's economy and for the future of our citizens....

[Seabiscuit]

96. You must be a fellow Californian.

[arwalden]

112. Say It Again... Say It Again!!

[VivaKerry]

3. This no doubt is exasperating to Mrs. Chris Reeves

(forgot her name, sorry).

[yellerpup]

4. Dana.

She's a wonderful actor, too.

[VivaKerry]

14. and a great singer.

Thanks for reminding me... Dana. Of course it's dana.

[Ima]

6. Good news.

One step forward for mankind.

[mzmolly]

7. My guess is that it's encouraging for her.

:shrug:

[VivaKerry]

15. True. She wants the best for everyone

she wants her husband's work to count.

but I bet she wants her husband back. *tears for her*

[mzmolly]

5. How wonderful.

:)

[Lucky Luciano]

8. This is an OUTRAGE!

What a disgraceful world we live in where stem cells are used to heal the injured. I want no part of this.

Sincerely,
George W Bush

[Ima]

21. Unless I get sick.

[snippy]

9. Fantastic. Now lets encourage more research on all stem cells. n/t

[burrowowl]

10. Great if true

had she been excised before to de-atrophy the muscles?

[Pastiche423]

23. Can muscles be de-atrophied?

What about the loss of bone density?

[420inTN]

25. Yes, muscle atrophy can be reversed...

In these cases, muscle atrophy is just from lack of use. Just as if one becomes a couch potato, one's muscles atrophize. Physical therapy/excercise/working-out will help regain muscle mass and density, just as one would go from being a 98-lb weakling, to being Joe Weider. ;-)

As to the bone density loss, i'm not sure, but probably not.

[Pastiche423]

30. Uh...

two decades of non-use is certainly no comparison to couch potatoes.

I'd love to hear how they prepared her body prior to the injections.

[420inTN]

31. No, they are not the same..

however, the principle still applies. So long as the muscles still exist, they can be rebuilt/strengthened. Muscular atrophy is not the same as muscular dystrophy, where the muscle cells are actually destroyed. However, if the muscle cells die, then the level of possible recovery will be reduced.

Think of the muscle cell as a balloon. An atrophized muscle is like a deflated balloon, it can be reinflated. A dystrophized muscle is like a popped balloon, it can't be reinflated.

Keep in mind, I am not a doctor (nor do I play one on t.v.), and this is just my layman's understanding of it.

[Pachamama]

92. This explanation explain's Bush's Brain...

Thanks...now it is so much clearer to understand him...he's a popped balloon.... :hi:

[Cheswick2.0]

34. bone density can be improved

This is great news pastiche

[RedCon1]

83. A substance known as mechano-growth factor has been shown

to increase the muscle mass of a lab rat by about 15% when injected into its thigh with no kind of exercise to account for the results. It was hoped to be used to rebuild atrophied cardiac muscle but has been shown to rebuild skeletal muscle as well. It makes steroids look very old and obsolete BTW and, it's 100% undetectable. I have been waiting patiently for this stuff to hit the hospitals for several years now. Hopefully this will provide the impetus to market it. Oh how I love science and technology.

[ninkasi]

11. How wonderful for her!

Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a country that supports advances in medicine and technology? Under the Smirker, we are going backwards . It won't be long before the United States is no longer the only Superpower.

I am glad, in any case, about the woman who has taken her first steps in many years, and hope she is the first of many to benefit from intelligent medical research.

[aquart]

22. How wonderful for China which will hold whatever patents

are filed on this.

[W2Hague]

12. stem cells

Perhaps stem cells can be used to grow Mr. Bush a heart.
........Or for that matter, a functioning frontal lobe would also be quite an improvement.


Peace
D.L. Bruin
BruinDesign.com

[Demeter]

37. To paraphrase "Bones" McCoy:

"They're doctors, dammit, not miracle workers!"

(You need Scotty to make the puppet a mechanical heart!)

[Demeter]

38. Or the Blue Fairy, TO Turn Him Into A REAL Boy!

(No offense, I hope, to the G & L community)

[420inTN]

62. Why would a Pinnochio character "offend" the G&L community? n/t

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

13. Stick that in your pipe & smoke it, you science-hating Xtian dumbasses

Let the FLOOD of hypocritical paralyzed Xtian fundies BEGIN! Ooops, I'm sorry...I forgot, you aren't eligible to receive treatment because of your RELIGIOUS beliefs.

JB

[stevedeshazer]

16. Well, that's harsh.

Actually, no it's not.

[prodigal_green]

20. Jebus will cure them

Anybody who walks after receiving stem cells will surely go to H E double hockey sticks.

[bones_7672]

67. Uh, no christian i know opposes using umbilical cord stem cells. n/t

[patcox2]

95. Uh, actually this story arguably "proves" the Xtian position right.

You must not be very informed on this topic. The "Xtians" only oppose the use of fetal stem cells. They have been arguing that scientists can do just as well with other stem cells, such as umbilical stem cells. This story "proves" (not really proves, but supports and adds amunition to their argument) the Xtians point.

I do not agree with what you characterize as the "Xtian" position. But since this is a political board, the political ramifications of this story shouldbe recognized.

[Branjor]

17. How wonderful for her!

And with adult stem cells no less!

[Julien Sorel]

18. God will punish the South Koreans for this outrage.

[pig.]

75. wtf?

[CHIMO]

19. A Miraculous

Material. What more can one say about stem cells?

So how can one oppose their use?

[brentspeak]

24. How sad that Christopher Reeves didn't live to see this (n/t)

[Florida_Geek]

36. While he maybe couldn't walk this year

Maybe just maybe this would have helped him get to the point that the diseases that did kill him would not have.

[seriousstan]

26. This involved stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, not embryos.

The difference is "the earliest embryonic stem cells are called totipotent cells, which means they can develop into an entire organism, producing both the embryo and tissues required to support it in the uterus. At a later stage of development, pluripotent embryonic stem cells exist and can develop into almost any type of cell in the body. These stem cells cannot form the supporting tissues, as seen with totipotent cells. 5 Human embryonic stem cells found in the early stage embryo are believed to have a greater ability to become different types of body cells and have more uses than adult stem cells."

I believe the ban is only on research dealing with totipoent cells. The federal government actually funds research involving stem cells from other sources, e. g., umbilical cord, placenta, adult and animal tissues.

[James T. Kirk]

45. Actually, the fed gov funds embryonic stem cell research, ,too.

Bush announced came up with a compromose plan to fund a limited number of emryonic stem cell lines in 2001.

[Pastiche423]

50. Of that limited number of lines

only eleven were viable.

Can't do jack w/that.

[James T. Kirk]

52. Possibly. But it is not a "ban" on embryonic funding.

A weak subsidy is not a ban.

The federal government does not fund my purchases or Doritos, but that does not constitute a "ban".

[Pastiche423]

57. It IS a ban on any further lines

[Igel]

81. No,

it's a ban on *federal funding* for research on additional lines.

If Harvard or Pfizer wants to use endowment funds to create an additional 20 lines and fund research on them, they can.

[seriousstan]

55. If this article is true, they can do "jack" without them.

[Pastiche423]

59. That's a big IF

[NickB79]

102. Enjoy trying to get those lines into use

Most of the existing stem cell lines in 2001 were being grown on murine (mouse) cell beds to provide nutrition and support for the human stem cells. Any use of these cell lines in treating disabled humans could be considered xenotransplantation, something that is largely off-limits today due to fears of trans-species disease transfer. The existing lines today are great for research, but most of them would never be allowed to be used for treatment. Unless you start new cell lines today, using human cell beds, we won't be seeing much embryonic stem cell research used in medicine any time soon.

[brentspeak]

27. Maybe thanks to Bush, we got beat by S.Korea

If Bush had acted soon enough on stem cell research maybe like four years ago this success could have been an American success.

Economically AND scientifically Bush has sunk us to second-world status.

[readmoreoften]

28. Jesus hates it when paralysis is cured. n/t

[imenja]

29. Edwards was right; Bush is holding the US back

Stem cell research can make the paralyzed walk. During the campaign, I wanted the Dem's to make the point that Bush was holding the country back and that the Dem's were a party of the future: by not funding stem cell research, we keep the country from making scientific advances and relinquish that progress to other countries; by subsidizing fossil fuels we continue to depend on outmoded energy sources rather than fully advancing new technologies that can free us from dependence on oil. Europeans (and now S Korea) are ahead of us on these issues. All of these are policies that will result in our falling behind countries where the religious right and the oil lobby doesn't set policy.

[Florida_Geek]

32. Folks this is not about "killing babies" it is ABOUT DRUG companies $$$$$

While Rove will talk about "killing babies" this is really about killing the Golden Goose's $$$$$$

Take this woman once she is walking what will her drug bills be.


HOW much $$$ will the drug companies lose if diabetes is CURED???????

[HannibalBarca]

35. ALOT and that goes for a multitude of other diseases as well.

[seriousstan]

40. Like polio, chicken pox , measles, mumps, and pertussis.

diphtheria, tetanus, hopefully soon to be followed by hepatitis B.

[James T. Kirk]

46. What are you talking about? It was UMBILICAL CORD blood.

Stem cells are collected from the blood in the umbilical cord after birth. How does this have anything to do with killing babies?

From the article:

However, these stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood have emerged as an ethical and safe alternative to embryonic stem cells.

Clinical trials with embryonic stem cells are believed to be years away because of the risks and ethical problems involved in the production of embryos -- regarded as living humans by some people -- for scientific use.

In contrast, there is no ethical dimension when stem cells from umbilical cord blood are obtained, according to researchers.

Additionally, umbilical cord blood stem cells trigger little immune response in the recipient as embryonic stem cells have a tendency to form tumors when injected into animals or human beings.

[Florida_Geek]

65. Because the Far Right said to the sheep you have to kill babys for

stem cells. In Monroe there is a billboard with a 6 month old baby and talks about killing babies for stem cell research.

[James T. Kirk]

114. Again, this was allegedly a cure by UMBILICAL CORD cells.

The baby was already born.

You must be thinking of embryonic stem cell research, which destroys human embryos.

[Benhurst]

33. Yeah, but do they have cheese sandwiches with

the Holy Virgin's face on them in South Korea?

As I thought -- NOT!

Get on your knees and thank God you live in BushAmerica.

[Demeter]

39. That's Really Cruel, Man

Sad, totally true, but cruel. Can't expect miracles from people who refuse the evidence of their own eyes and chase photo opportunities.

[tsuki]

87. LOL.

[AlFrankenFan]

41. Holy crap!

That is friggin' amazing! Living goddamned proof that we need it legalized again in the USA! F***ing Bush...

[intermixxx]

43. It is legal ya buffoon.

Note that this (which may entirely be a load of manure) was performed using cord stem cells. From what I've been reading lately embryonic stem cells are practically uncontrollable and therefore useless. Cord Cells and even adult stem cells show much more promise than the old baby killin embryonic kind. Despite all the hype, the religious right may come out on the correct side on this one. Bozo me.

I was all for embryonic research until I quit listening to Mrs. Reeves and Michael J Fox and started doing my own research. Again, keep in mind that this whole article may sit on a throne of lies.

[Pastiche423]

44. "...this whole article may sit on a throne of lies"

I am leaning that way.

This woman was injected on October 12, 2004 and three weeks later she's walking? This after two decades of her muscles atrophying and her bones becoming brittle?

Twenty years of no weight bearing on her muscles and bones and she got up and walked?

Either huge parts of this story are missing, or it's all bullshit.

[hickman1937]

54. Not so much a Throne of Lies

But good old fashion American spin and sell. The fact seems to be that the rest of the world did it's homework, and now doesn't need us to open new frontiers. Thanks george.

[420inTN]

48. A couple of Questions...

1) What is a "walking frame"?

Is it a walker, like my grandmother used (four legs, two wheels, handles)? Or does it involve leg braces, or some kind of exoskeleton?

2) How "paralyzed" was she?

Although the the headline and first sentence say that she was "paralyzed", the story does not exactly say what type of spinal injury was involved, or the extent of the damage. The story says that she was bedridden, but not that she didn't have any use/movement of her legs. Before my grandmother passed, she was bedridden, but could still move her legs and do some physical therapy with them.

3) How long from injection to "recovery"?

Even with intense physical therapy, I would think that it would take a while for the spinal cord to repair, and the muscles to be strengthened for her to be able to take a few steps.

4) Is any other new site carrying this story?

The only other link that i could google was the China Daily newspaper.


I hope this story is real, but I have some doubts.

[seriousstan]

49. Walking frame is a 4 legged walker.

[420inTN]

51. Thanks... that's what I figured. n/t

[seriousstan]

53. Your welcome, a poster above stated that she was injected

3 weeks before they let her walk. I didn't post that because there is no link and I don't know where they got that info.

[420inTN]

56. I read through the posts and saw that before posting my questions...

but that information wasn't in the linked article, nor in the only other story on it that I could find, so that's one reason why I asked. To me, three weeks doesn't seem like enough time, but I'm neither a doctor nor a physical therapist.

[Pastiche423]

60. It's impossible to "de-atrophize" muscle in three week's time

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20041127-121143-6745r

"The stem cell transplantation was performed on Oct. 12 this year and in just three weeks she started to walk with the help of a walker," Song told reporters at a news conference in Seoul.

[420inTN]

61. Ahh... thanks for the link...

and yes, three weeks does seem too soon to "de-atrophy" the legs. However, they could have beed doing physical therapy with her before the procedure in order to strengthen her legs.

Still, how long did it take Christopher Reeves in order to regain the use of one finger?

[Pastiche423]

63. What does Chris Reeve's finger have to do

w/bearing weight on atrophied legs?

It is quite apparent to me that you know nothing about paralysis.

[420inTN]

64. It's apparent to me that you missed my reference. :-)

After Mr Reeve began to regain sensation in his fingers (as his spinal injury very slowly repaired/improved), it took many weeks/months for him to just be able to move a finger.

However, this story expects us to believe this woman was able to regain the ability to walk in less time than it took Mr. Reeves to regain the ability to move one finger.

I was using the example of Mr. Reeve as a counterpoint to my own point that I made about using physical therapy on the woman before the injection to speed her muscle recovery.

[Florida_Geek]

68. BS

I was in a hospital for 6 weeks and in a wheel chair for 6 weeks and did not walk for that whole time. At the end, you could hit my lower leg muscles and the bounced around. My leg muscles had atrophized. I went from a four legged walker to a cane in around 1 week. Off the cane in another week.

[seriousstan]

69. Hardly a 20 year stint off your feet.

[Pastiche423]

71. OH WOW!

Twelve whole weeks, eh? Poor baby! :eyes:

Try eighteen YEARS!

What is "BS" is to try to compare a measley twelve weeks to almost TWO DECADES of not bearing weight on atrophied muscles and brittle bones due to the loss of density.

How ignorant!

[Florida_Geek]

72. No an ignorant person would say

"impossible to "de-atrophize" muscle in three week's time"

[Pastiche423]

74. No, an ignorant person

would not follow the discussion of a woman that had been paralyzed for almost twenty years.

It is impossible to "de-atrophize" twenty year old paralyzed muscles in three week's time.

Have you ever had or seen almost twenty year old paralyzed muscles?

You should stop while you're behind.

[Florida_Geek]

77. Nice thing about this forum is you can ignore ignorant ppl like you

Bye Bye

[Virginian]

99. And what about the calcification of the joints?

It sounds like the woman must have been in a strenuous physical therapy regime before being selected to be a part of the experiment.

[Wunderkind]

73. Get the Facts Right

1. This research, if it is authentic, was conducted using stem cells extracted from umbilical cord blood. Not even the most avid religious zealot objects to this type of research because it does not result in the creation or destruction of a human embryo.

2. Embryonic stem cell research is not banned in the U.S. Scientists must simply choose between receiving federal funding and working exclusively on the lines designated by the President in 2001 or having the freedom to work on any embryos but without federal funding.

And don't just assume that this wonderful story must be a hoax because it goes against what you wanted/expected to see happen.

[StopThief]

101. Watch out!!

Stop spreading truths amidst a feeding frenzy. LOL

[roguevalley]

76. They also do this in Portugal. There was c-span coverage about

it a while back. Amazing and wonderful. Good for her.

[Javaman]

78. Without Jerry Farwell commanding the woman to walk via

some sort of head slap, moron won't listen and say it's voodoo medicine.

[democracy eh]

111. maybe Benny Hin snuck into her room?

nope

that dam science thing again

[Doohickie]

79. Anyone see the video?

She could hardly be described as "walking". She had to lean heavily on the walker, and could swivel her hip to move her foot.

Granted, this is a major step for her; she was totally immobilized from the belly button down, and now has some feeling and mobility down in her hip/groin area. She said she still can't feel her legs.

[kamtsa]

82. I really hope that this is not a hoax ...

... and that it can be confirmed by reputable scientists.

[Donkeyboy75]

84. These are NOT embryonic stem cells, and this research would be funded

by the federal government. Get your facts straight, people! Sheesh.

[Rzrbk]

90. Thank you Donkeyboy for clarifying

It seems that some people get so wrapped up in complaining they don't get their facts straight. NO religious or Republican organization has tried to stop umbilical stem cell research. If we get so focused on slamming the right, we loose our arguement and aren't taken seriously.

[ze_dscherman]

86. This weekend, Switzerland voted YES for stem cell research

In a nation wide election, an overwhelming majority of 66.4% allowed stem cell research. They did not allow cloning, nor the production of embryos just for research purposes. Stem cells may be taken from "unused" embryos (left over after artificial fertilization) less than seven days old, with the authorization of the "parents".

[Malva Zebrina]

89. The stem cells are not taken from "babies"

Here is a picture of blastocysts taken at a fertility clinic that were grown in petri dishes and left over from a IVF.These fertilized eggs are five days old. They will be frozen for future use. This is the "baby" right wing and other people are talking about when they are sent out to spin the immorality of stem cell research.



http://www.advancedfertility.com/blastocystimages.htm

[Doohickie]

97. A blastocyst is a human with a soul, according to fundies and

the Catholic Church. Disposing of such is murder.

There is an OT passage where there is a claim that God knew one of the prophets before he was born. This is the passage used to establish that an unborn baby has a soul. But I see it differently: If the Lord knows who will be born and what they will be like, He also knows which embryos will not be born and therefore doesn't necessarily give them souls.

My personal feeling is that an embryo becomes a person when it starts to have sentient thought and/or is viable outside the womb. Obviously, the blastocysts above qualify under neither condition. An eight-month fetus probably satisfies both.

Somewhere in between, at a stage that is difficult if not impossible to pinpoint, the fetus may be considered a "person".

The problem is that the religious right does not think about uncertainties and shades of gray. They want to be absolutely sure that no fetus (in their view, person) is unjustly killed. This is, however, so much at odds with the fact that they do not adequately, as a society, provide for the care and rearing of those what are actually born to poor parents. Additionally, this strict protection of innocent life apparently does not apply to Iraqi's. Somehow they feel it is the fault of Iraqi children that their neighborhoods came to be war zones and they should have known better.

:eyes:

[Malva Zebrina]

105. People are entitled to their beliefs as to the possession of a "soul"

in this blastocyst and some, ironically, have had their "souls" frozen.

Are we to consider that an egg has only half a soul? A sperm has only half a soul? Each has the same "potential" as the blastocyst.

And what of twins that had one soul in the beginning and then branched off into two? Do both share the original one soul? Ot does the "soul" also divide? If that is the belief then those who have that belief should not have an abortion.

However, they and their religious beliefs, do not have the right to force that belief on others, mostly women, who do not believe that this blastocyte is a fully formed "baby";a human being with a Christian soul, granted rights in all their "potentiality",(whether or not it achieves it's potential),over and above that of the mother, by a god, and that god is always the Christian god and not the god of many others who live and contribute to this nation.

[Doohickie]

108. The point is that we don't really know, do we?

[Malva Zebrina]

110. It is a belief and assumes facts not in evidence

It is a belief and not a fact and I have no desire to debate beliefs or faith.

My point is that there is no right to force that belief on others.

[patcox2]

93. Bad news for fetal stem cell research supporters.

Seriously. I bet you will hear the preznit pointing to this and saying "see, I was right, we don't need to be murdering unborn babies to cure people, you don't need fetal stem cells, this umbilicalal stems cellicons work just as gooder."

[GOPBasher]

98. Ahhh to live where they actually like science, and

believe it will help people. The only science the Bush administration likes is that which is used for the military. Anything else is against the Bible. "Thou shalt not heal people from disease," or something.

[slackmaster]

107. I grew up liking science and believing it would help people

The country was the USA. The decades were the 1960s and 1970s.

Stupidism(TM) is a relatively new cultural phenomenon. I blame Disco music, especially the Bee Gees; "poppers" (amyl nitrate or isobutyl nitrite inhalants); and the Blacksploitation genre of movies.

[DFWJock]

100. Were some

cells in a petry dish used?

MURDER!!!
MURDER!!!

[LakeCohoon]

103. Excellent -- if true n/t

[goforit]

106. Praise be to GOD!!!!...........Thankyou LORD!!!

[arwalden]

113. Oh Brother!

:eyes: