Reality Check on an Embryonic Debate

Advances in embryonic stem cells are far beyond what has been discussed in this story. Today the technology is already in place to maintain and scale up feeder- and serum-free undifferentiated human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC) before differentiating them into therapeutically relevant cells.
Spinal Cord Repair - hESC oligodendrocyte progenitors for spinal cord repair have been tested successfully in over 2000 rats and a new IND will be filed in the next few months to begin human testing.
Heart Failure - hESC derived cardiomyocytes are the first human cardiac cells shown to survive after injection into an infarcted ventricle and to produce significant improvement in heart function. hESCs are the only cell type shown definitively to form cardiomyocytes.
Diabetes - hESCs have been differentiated into key cell types of the pancreas, including ductal, exocrine and endocrine cells. The endocrine cells included the major islet cell types that produce the hormones insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. Upon exposure to increased concentrations of glucose, the islet-like clusters secreted insulin. When transplanted into diabetic mice, the hESC-derived pancreatic cell population prolonged animal survival and produced human c-peptide in the serum of transplanted animals upon challenge with glucose.
All of the above work has been documented in peer reviewed papers presented at scientific conferences. The cells involved are immune privileged meaning that immune suppressor drugs may not be required. The major question I ask is why do reporters fail to report what is really occurring in the field?
lheller

I thought the inquisition was dead and gone? I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. Galileo Galilei. But I find it strange that the same catholic church that opposed Terri Schiavo's feeding tube being removed had no qualms to remove Pope John Paul II's feeding tube? and opposed to stem cell until a "PRINCE" of the church or big donater needs the benefits?

One problem we must contend with, honestly, is that so far the only thing scientists have successfully grown from embryonic stem cells is cancer tumors. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, have been used to grow a number of useful organisms with strong potential for mitigating a variety of diseases. Yes, the research is still in its infancy for both, but it would seem that following the path of greater success would be a sensible approach.