For the first time a human was injected with human embryonic cells. The FDA approved this clinical trial in January of 2009, but later required further research in order for the study to proceed. Embryonic stem cells are only four to five days old when they have the ability to turn into any cell of the body. However, the cells the patients receive aren’t pure embryonic cells anymore. The cells are programmed to make a new spinal cord by insulating the nerve cells. The goal was to permanently repair the damage from the spinal cord injury, or the paralysis. They want patients who have suffered serious spinal cord injuries to be able to respond to physical therapy. The cells being injected into the patients are products derived from stem cells that were harvested from leftover embryos in fertility clinics. This research has been very controversial since the process destroys the embryo.
I hope that this human embryonic stem cell trial will provide the results scientists hope to see. I think this research has full potential since the stem cells coaxed or developed into all of the cell types found in the human body. The embryonic stem cells are much easier to grow and identify compared to adult stem cells. The stem cell research, if successful, can help to treat a number of medical problems. Spinal cord injuries, birth defects, heart diseases, stroke, type 1 diabetes, etc. all have a chance of being cured by this research. Also, stem cells might be able to play a role in the cure of cancer. I feel that this trial was a good idea and it might have a positive outcome.
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