The news of non-embryonic stem cell successes keeps rolling in, and I can’t help but celebrate each bit. The latest news is of a boy who was born without cheek bones, the structure that gives form to the face and protection and support to the eyes. He has been given new cheek bones using stem cells from his own fat. Bone was used to form a substrate or scaffold, and the stem cells form new bones grown on that.
And other developments include techniques that make iPS stem cells much easier to produce.
Researchers at Scripps Institute found three natural chemicals that allowed the efficiency to be increased by 200 times, and speed to be doubled, with the elapsed time decreased from 4 weeks to 2 weeks.
This technology is as interesting and exciting as semiconductor technology was in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s – and digital technology in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s - rapidly changing, advancing and enabling incredible new technologies to tumble out. If I were a youngster looking for a career, I think that stem cells would be it. The ultimate affect on humanity can only be guessed, but it will be as great as semiconductors / computers I suspect.
The latest news from embryonic stem cells? They are still discussing ethics. Nothing else of significance.
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