HD Blog

What irritates me is that writers, deliberately or accidentally, are confusing the issue by not distinguishing between embryonic stem cell research and other stem cell research. There is a lot of exciting stem cell research that doesn't involve embryos that isn't getting a lot of press.

Michael Fumento has a wonderful article on current stem cell research and the surrounding politics. It's a must read for anybody interested in stem cell research.

For the record...I'm not convinced the stem cell research will ever offer much benefit to Huntington's Disease. It's an invasive procedure that involves physically implanting cells into the brain (with the inherit risks). It's a bit like adding air to a tire with a hole in it. Early research isn't showing any advantage (so far) over non-invasive treatments. However when a cure or effective treatment is found, it might very well help repair the brain. Using the same analogy, that would be like adding air to a tire after the hole has been fixed.

Here the final paragraph from the article:

"Moreover, to the extent that breakthroughs with ASCs (adult stem cells) are confused with ESC (embryonic stem cell) technology, it harms public support for ASC research. ESC propagandists are hoping for a seesaw effect; that by exaggerating ESC research and denigrating ASC research they'll push up their side of the board. But, to the extent they succeed, they're only delaying the stream of miracles coming from adult stem cells."