Clinic embryos are a manufactured 'red-herring' issue.
Few 'extra' clinic embryos exist. Consider the average IVF cycle:
8 (Average No. eggs harvested is 6-8 in US)
5 (60% are successfully fertilized)
2-3 (50% of all IVF created embryos arrest/ become 'naturally dead')
0 Remain after 2-3 implanted
A live birth occurs in only 1/3 of all cycles. 90% of 'extra embryos'
are stored for future family building, 2% donated to other couples, 3%
designated for research, balance are for clinic quality control and
other purposes. (The President has no say in these numbers as it is
designated by the parents.)
This is why the study from which '400,000' comes concludes that if ALL
the embryos designated for research were used exclusively to produce
stem cells, and not IVF and other research, only 275 might.
That's less than 6/state. Clearly that's not enough to cure
Alzheimers, diabetes, Parkinson's, ALS, paralysis, heart disease, etc.
Using the most recent CDC ART numbers, individual states, like
Michigan, can expect zero new embryos annually ... to 10 decimal places.
The real numbers would come from the 'arrested embryos', none of which
are implanted and they produce normal stem cells at the same rate as
other 'fresh' embryos (and higher than the frozen 'clinic embryos' as
35% of those don't survive thawing). These could reasonably be tens of
thousands annually.
'Arrested embryos' are expected to be available for federal funding as
well. On Sept. 18, 2007, the NIH revealed it's plan to do so - in
response to the President's EO 13435 (made necessary because the House
wouldn't bring the bill to his desk for signature). Also included in
the new NIH plan are embryos from blastomere extraction,
parthenogenesis, and altered nuclear transfer.
The availability of clinic embryos will dramatically reduce over the
next decade, as the industry moves away from drug induced mass
stimulation and towards the natural cycle egg retrival used on the
first 'test tube' baby, Mary Louise Brown, finding it produces
healthier babies while minimizing health risks to women - and at
approximately 1/2-1/3 the cost.
The current method is potentially life threatenting. FDA trials
included thromboembolic events, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary
infarction, cerebral vascular accident (stroke) and arterial occlusion
with loss of a limb and death. Other risks include an increased risk
of clotting disorders, kidney damage, ovarian twisting, serious life
threatening pulmonary conditions in. Indeed, the risks of the egg
retrieval, include death, respiratory or cardiac arrest, brain damage,
paraplegia, paralysis, loss of function of a limb or organ, hemorrhage,
allergic reaction, and infection. Bleeding or other injuries which
occur during retrieval may require an invasive surgical procedure to
correct and could affect future fertility.
Regarding the unknown long term risks, studies have indicated a link
between stimulation drugs and an increased risk of ovarian cancer,
heart and kidney diseases in the mother, and cancers, deformities, and
stillbirth in her future offspring.
These risks may be 'ok' for a woman trying to resolve her own health
issue - but clearly violates the World Health Organization'
Declaration of Helsinki when applied to women who will receive no
benefit for undergoing the risk.
Ann's progression from 'just the extra clinic embryos' of her earlier
posts to 'The embryonic stem cell lines need to be fresh and new not so
old'. This is exactly the path generally taken by countries.
I, on the otherhand, have remained consistant. The clinic embryos are
a finite resource that should not be tapped unless and until research
dictates they are necessary - or they will be used up on frivolous
experiments.
While the number of clinical trials recruiting using other stem cells
is nearing 1000, ClinicalTrials.
those are only to try to make new lines. Embryonic stem cells are
unlikely candidates for therapy because they form tumors and are
rejected by the subject.
The advancement of extracting stem cells from organismically dead
embryos and single cell blastomere extraction should provide
researchers with more than enough embryos to perform thoughtful But,
remember, humans are not the only source of embryonic stem cells and
research should be conducted on animal models before moving to humans,
and it is the lack of safe and superior results in animals that
prohibits experimentation on human subjects.
It is lack of results, not resources.
But, even if there were results ... should poor women exploited and be
seriously injured or die to provide provide a 'cure' for a rich
American?
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
____________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
