Drugs v Stem Cells – the race to cure

July 21, 2009 - PRLog -- The deputy chairman on the Repair Stem Cell Institute Science Advisory Board and one of the pioneers of stem cell therapy has this to say:

For doctors who say that current stem cell therapies are “unproven,” Dr. Fernandez Vina has the following response: “How many patients must to be treated to say this is a cure? How many patients must die waiting for the word “cure?” A lot of diseases are not totally cured with drugs but the laboratories talk about curing (HIV, Tuberculosis and a lot of malignant diseases). They say that the drugs “cure” but in reality the drugs improve the quality of life. Stem cells “cure” in the same sense. If a person is dying of diabetes and we improve the prognosis and he no longer needs insulin injections, we increase the C peptide, decrease the HbA1c, decrease protein in the urine, decrease the risk of amputation or kidney failure, in my book that is a “cure.” Dr. Vina is right. Promises of Obama freeing up money for stem cell research?? Sure we can always do more research, but we already have something. We already have something right now that can be used- Adult Stem Cells- to help millions of people. It is at our fingertips and the longer we wait, the more that die- that is a real tragedy.

(Ed). Luckily, thousands of patients have availed themselves via a leap of faith (and the knowledge they had nothing to lose) of stem cell therapy. Their stories make inspiring reading as they travel long distances to regain what they thought they had forever lost. Ask any treated diabetic what it feels like not to need insulin (and thus avoid amputation of a limb or kidney failure etc) and they will tell you how happy they feel. Ask the parent of a cerebral palsy child and they will tell you that the restoring of function was life-changing. Ask a stroke or heart disease patient unable to walk very far and who has been told there was nothing more that could be done for them. You can find them on the golf course now – or even scuba diving!

More information : http://www.stemcells21.com