Breaking News Archive 2012
The Heart of Life
Considering Americas fixation on the human heart during Valentines Day this past week, its only appropriate that I bring to your attention an encouraging and life-affirming study concerning that very human organ (sounds less romantic when put that way, doesnt it).
As one who had his broken heart repaired by surgery this past year, I found this new development fascinating.
Without skipping a beat, a research team from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles took a big step in the direction of hope for heart attack patients. Led by Dr. Edurado Marban, the group of medical experts discovered that they could use stem cells to re-grow heart muscle scarred and damaged from an attack.
Heres the key finding of this breakthrough: These very cells werent the embryonic stem cells that some constantly tout as gospel for saving the lives of the sick.
Instead, researchers developed adult stem cells from the patients themselvesa truly remarkable and fascinating process. By doing so, the added concern of an immune rejection on the part of patients was dismissed.
Heres how it worked. Dr. Marbans team inserted a catheter into the diseased hearts to take a small muscle biopsy. In this case, the patients really gave of their hearts! The muscle tissue extracted was then manipulated into producing stem cells in a laboratory. Eventually, when enough stem cells were produced, they were reinserted into the patients hearts.
The results were quite astounding and promising.
According to Dr. Marban, the 17 treated patients experienced shrinkage of the scar tissue by an average of 50-percent. Thats progress. Heres a brief animated video describing the procedure if youd like to learn more. Click here to watch video.
Additionally, the heart muscle of patients experienced new growth over the course of one year. With inserted adult stem cells taking root in the cardiac tissue of the patients studied, the heart was stimulated to create new muscle and blood vesselsall without killing human embryos in their first days of life.
The study is only Phase 1 of more extensive research. While some aspects still need to be worked outas well as questions that remain unansweredno doubt science is moving at a heartwarming pace (I know, enough with the puns) toward saving one life without killing another.
Adult stem cells hold much life-affirming promise. Learn more by visiting the special section on our website devoted to the benefits of adult stem cells by clicking here.
With companies like Geron Corporation recently halting human embryonic stem cell trials, and now this, embryonic stem cell proponents are running out of excuses and justifications to take innocent lives in the name of treating diseases. Pro-embryonic stem cell activists are a heartbeat away (okay, just one more) from losing legitimacy in the medical community.
What this latest development really shows is that sound science is on our side.
For LIFE,
Bradley Mattes
Executive Director
Life Issues Institute
2/17/12
Life Issues Institute is dedicated to changing hearts and minds of millions of people through education. Organizations and individuals around the world depend upon Life Issues Institute to provide the latest information and effective tools to protect innocent human life from womb to tomb.
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