Stem Cell Research

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Stem cell research is an area of great political debate in this country right now.  Most Americans however do not understand what it is, or what the debate is about.  There is great hope that stem cell research could someday yield a cure for many diseases including Lupus.  This page will help you understand the basics of stem cells and give you resources to learn more about them so that you can make informed decisions.

Stem cells are primal cells that all multi-cellular organisms have.  They have the unique ability to renew themselves through cell division.  Stem cells are undifferentiated cells meaning that they can become a wide variety of specialized (differentiated) cells such as red blood cells, insulin secreting pancreas cells, lung cells, brain cells, etc.

Scientists hope to be able to direct these cells into becoming specific specialized cells in order to understand, treat and cure a wide variety of diseases and conditions including Lupus, Parkinson's Disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, burns, heart disease, Diabetes, Osteo-Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, some Cancers, Muscular Dystrophy, and more.

There are two different kinds of stem cells, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.  Embryonic stem cells are cells derived from embryos that were fertilized in an in-vitro fertilization clinic and then donated for research once they were no longer needed.  Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ of an adult. 

Embryonic stem cells are the ones that have generated the ethical questions that are at the center of the debate.  Extracting the stem cells from an embryo destroys the embryo.  It is the opinion of some people that this is taking a human life.  It is important to note however that these embryos would be destroyed if not donated to research. 

Scientists have had a lot of success with stem cell research and Lupus but it is still in the experimental stage and it needs a lot more support and funding!  Currently, you must have severe, life threatening Lupus that has not responded to any other treatments to be considered for this procedure.  Basically, doctors "wipe out" the patient's immune system using high doses of very powerful chemotherapeutic drugs.   Next, they administer adult stem cells into the person's body intravenously.  This hopefully retrains the immune system not to attack the body. 

News article about the procedure.

There are currently several studies being conducted on stem cell transplants in Lupus.  One by Nanjing Medical University in China, one by Duke University in North Carolina, another is being conducted at Stanford University in California, there is one in Germany, and another at Northwestern University in Chicago.  Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington D.C. has also initiated a study on this procedure in children. 

Stem Cells Fight Lupus Video Click Here to View

If you would like to learn more about stem cell research, below are some links to some very informative web pages dealing with this topic. 

Mayo Clinic - Stem Cells: Sorting through the hype and the hope

National Institute of Health - Stem Cell Information

After you have become educated about this issue, please consider contacting your legislators asking them to support and fund stem cell research, if you feel more comfortable you can stipulate only adult stem cell research.  You can also vote for politicians who will support and fund this life saving research.  This is the most promising research in decades for not only Lupus but all the diseases mentioned above as well as others.  Hundreds of millions of lives could be saved and improved!