Hopes of custom-built organs from stem cells
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3177646.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3177646.ece
My dad also died in his 80's after a long bout with Alzheimer's, finally in a nursing home. He was also a renowned research scientist, and he would have fully understood that time would be involved for treatments to be FDA approved.I am also wondering what some of these articles mean when they say it will be years until it can be accomplished in humans. What exactly is years or is it just a way to say that they really have no clue if and when it will ever be done? Just wondering........
Can you say FDA? That's why it all takes years. I saw on TV this week that they had given an 81 year old man with severe Alzheimers an injection of Enbrel in his spine and within minutes his condition improved.
Now my Dad has severe Alzheimer's and we are taking him to the doctor on Feb 4th for an injection of Boniva as his doctor is worried about his bones. Here we are - a 79 year old man in a nursing home with severe Alzheimer's and Medicare has to arrange a special van once a month and drive him 10 miles to the doctor's office and back just to get a shot for his bones. We will ask about the Enbrel when we go to his visit. Any guesses to what the answer will be?
No, that definitely was not my point, and questioning anyone's patriotism certainly doesn't have anything to do with it whatsoever either.Harv - I totally agree with you that if a person can wait, then by all means, help the FDA by participating in a clinical trial. The unfortunate thing is that many of us don't have the luxury to wait for a clinical to be started near where we live, hope we get the real deal when we participate and then wait 6 more months to find out, and if we didn't, then get to try the real stuff. There will be tons of people available for clinical trials when they become available. I do not regret my own decision and I certainly do not feel unpatriotic or anything else by getting stem cell treatment in another country. I seriously doubt that this was your point, but I just want to set the record straight as far as why I feel many are not too happy with the slow pace of progress here in the U.S. You make an excellent point in that we need research going on for more than one or two diseases. No, stem cells may not be the answer for everything, but we will not know in our lifetime if only one disease at a time is tested in a clinical. The only ones in good shape in this country are rats and mice. At least they are getting a shot at improvement! Unfortunately, they get cured only to be dissected down the road.