Buried beneath the hysteria over the U.S. Senate facing off Bush over embryonic stem cell funding, in just one week three exciting successes from adult stem cell research have been published.
Firstly a study of teens with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes, showing that after several years many were no longer dependent upon insulin. Everyone knows that the complications from diabetes beginning at an early age can be severe and life threatening, so this study shows promise and will bring hope to many.
Secondly, the BBC reported that adult stem cells had been used to make spermatological cells (which normally mature into sperm cells in the testes and can be used for fertilization). The implications of this for infertile couples are far-reaching and encouraging.
Thirdly, also from a BBC report, a human heart valve has been created from adult stem cells. The project leaders hope that, in time, they will be able to grow replacement human hearts using the technology. Even now, after testing and evaluation, the likelihood is that patients with a stem cell-based heart valve can expect it to last much longer than artificial replacements.
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