Its exciting to read about the growing understanding of stem cells and their implications for regenerative medicine. As we learn how stem cells function, we may be able to dramatically reduce the prevalence of diseases that are the result of tissue dysfunction. The possibilities of carrying this research out to the fullest are endless. Perhaps we could even attack the root of the problem, finding cures for gene mutations that lead to tissue degeneration in the first place. On the other hand, maybe playing with gene mutations will have unforeseen consequences on human evolution. A single team of scientists meddling with a process that usually takes millions of years could be problematic.
Furthermore, while researchers have seen evidence that stem cells are safe for long-term use, such studies have only yet followed small numbers of patients for a handful of years. We do not yet know how manipulation of stem cells will affect a human over the course of their entire life or through generations. How will a promising procedure, such as the one discussed in the article "Stem cells help nearly blind to see" in which a mere 18 patients were treated, affect a wider variety of patients, for example an individual with mutations not represented in the original 18 patients? Regenerative medicine is still too new to identify genetic contraindications. Maybe this concern is merely another example of me responding new technologies with skepticism and worry (however much I'm also excited about the possibilities), or maybe its a response born out of the results of bio-medical interventions such as the impact of overuse of antibiotics. As pointed out in "Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes, & Viruses Tutorial," bacteria get the last laugh when humans inadvertently encourage the evolution of drug resistant bacteria.
Worry-wartery aside, another interesting medical development is the use of acupuncture to administer or augment western medicine. Such a crossover would likely be a benefit to both modalities. Acupuncture is often seen as a "miracle cure" in the West, a result of our collective ignorance of holistic and/or d.i.y. healthcare practices. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the body as a network, working on a larger scale than western medicine, which targets specific organs/tissues or systems. I am curious to see how the use of the two systems impact one another.
I agree! There's a lot of possibilities and improvements that can happen with stem cell medicine, but it's still so new that we're still not entirely confident in what the long term effects are. But it'll be interesting to see more studies!
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ReplyDeleteAshley this reminds me of biopuncture. Biopuncture uses small doses of medicine that are injected in order to stimulate the natural healing processes. The micro doses stimulate mechanisms which are available anyway. So, the healing effect comes from inside the patients body and not the products themselves. It is the reaction from the patients immune system which will produce the proper remedy to regain natural healing. The outcome from patients may consist of better local blood circulation, repair of damaged tissue, muscle relief or detoxification.
ReplyDeleteThere certainly is a duality here. On the one hand, regerative medicine shows great promise, on the other hand, we don't know what we're really getting into, however, being uncertain shouldn't stop progress. Of course ethics need to play a role.
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