Stem Cells don't work in MS brains

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Lyon
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Post by Lyon »

Err....didn't a certain someone offered to send me his wife's Valentine's card recently? Smile
Dom.
:oops: This is one of those few times I wish you wouldn't have paid quite so much attention to the details!
Just one more thought: when researchers publish their findings of a success, laboratories around the world try to replicate their work -- does the same thing happen when a "failure" is announced, or is it simply marked down as a dead end and thrown in the bin?
Not to disagree with Harry but my "gut feeling" is that in regards to MS there is enough valid other research needing to be done that a negative result is not as likely to be given a second look as a positive result. Then again I got the obvious impression that the researchers were trying to promote the message that these results were VERY specific to the situations encountered, which obviously isn't a commonly occuring situation.

I'm not familiar with all of the researchers in this study but isn't Freedman himself involved in stem cell reseach? If we don't read about his disposing of his cultures and moving to the Bahamas it's probably safe to assume that he himself considers this study nothing more than part of the learning process necessary to improve future stem cell treatments.
Bob
Lyon
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Post by Lyon »

TwistedHelix wrote: Okay, I'm off now to write my award winning screenplay -- it's a gay love story set against the beautiful backdrop of MS research...

It's called, "Setback Mountain".
Dom.
I have to get back to work but I had to pop in and say that a wickedly awesome wit was necessary to come up with that one!
Bob
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Post by robbie »

Can someone explain all the folks going to china for stem cell injections and paying over 100 thousand per. It was on the news for one day while it was hot like everything else in the media. There was a couple local girls who were paralized in a car wreck who went and they also mentioned people there with ms to give it a try .Is this just a shot in the dark with little research and why are they doing it and not us?
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HarryZ
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Post by HarryZ »

Dom,
In order to do that "stumbling upon", we have to try everything which is why I think all research is important, even if it ends in apparent failure. I hope you're right about other labs picking up the research to find out what went wrong.
A few years ago I was having a conversation with my wife's neuro and spoke about the state of MS research. He told me at the time that the answer to MS would likely come from someone who "stumbles" upon the answer while looking for something else....I sure hope he's right!!
Okay, I'm off now to write my award winning screenplay -- it's a gay love story set against the beautiful backdrop of MS research...

It's called, "Setback Mountain".

Dom.
Sigh :roll:

Harry
Lyon
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Post by Lyon »

HarryZ wrote: Sigh :roll:
Harry
Don't sound so dejected Harry, just think of all the money we're going to get out of this!!........we are going to get royalties aren't we Dom?? By the way, Ian has said on many occasions that he's rich so I don't see any problem with Harry and I sharing his share of the procedes.
In order to do that "stumbling upon", we have to try everything which is why I think all research is important, even if it ends in apparent failure.
In trying to think of a response to Harry, last night that exact same thought went through my mind. Harry mentioned that before doing the stem cell procedure the researchers must have thought it would work. To my way of thinking, those patients were in dire straights, had nothing to lose and the researchers "hoped" the procedure would work.

The comparison which came to mind was a burning oil well in Texas. Burning so hot that you can't get close to it with a fire hose. Common sense dictates that you can't put out an oil well fire with an explosion but a couple of hicks with time on their hands, a case of Lonestar beer and a couple of cartons of dynamite and what would you expect to result? Now we know that putting is well fires out with dynamite is the quickest, easiest and safest way to do it.

I myself have learned some of my most valuable lessons by trying things others said were foolhardy and dangerous. Admittedly, most of the time the lesson was not to try it a second time, but occasionally defying the odds and common sense results in success and only slight injury.

Bob
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TwistedHelix
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Post by TwistedHelix »

Robbie,

I think some countries have different moral values, fewer scruples, and less stringent legislation when it comes to research than we do in the West, so they can go ahead with untested procedures without such lengthy safety and efficacy trials.

People who are desperate, (and I bet we all know that feeling), are willing to spend large sums of money if it gives them hope, and who can blame them?

Personally, I believe stem cells will deliver remarkable things, but there is little proof that current techniques work in humans with MS -- at least not in the "miraculous" way the media would have us believe -- but maybe just diving in at the deep end like this will provide that "stumble across" moment we all want,

Dom.
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Post by robbie »

thx Dom it's just sad when u hear of people taking a second mortgage on their house to pay for stuff like this..i guess if it really helped then whats money...
Had ms for 28 yrs,
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Lyon
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Post by Lyon »

robbie wrote:Can someone explain all the folks going to china for stem cell injections and paying over 100 thousand per.
I wasn't familiar with the situation until you mentioned it.

This seemed like an appropriate article http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/355/12/1191
Bob
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beyondms
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Do not despair!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by beyondms »

Alright all MS patients, especially the ones like me that have moved into a progressive phase, do not despair. There were several problems with this type of surgery from the onset. Two patients in Canada died until they adjusted the dosage.

But there are new stem cell therapies around the corner that use your own adult stem cells to regenerate nerve cells in your body. These treatments are not invasive like destroying all your stem cells in your spinal cord, so if they pass some safety tests, they hold tremendous promise. Also, because these therapies use stem cells from your own body, there is no risk of rejection, which was more common in the more invasive therapies.

Again, these new treatments do not replace your stem cells, but use your own stem cells to to regenerate nerves. They are two to three years away, max five years.

Patience...it's just a matter of time before this disease is treatable and patients will be able to walk again. These are not pipe dreams of mine. I have done extensive research on stem cells and know where the true promise lies.

beyondms
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