The Toronto Star
February 19, 2009
A family desperate to save their child from an incurable brain disease sought help. They decided to use highly "experimental injections of fetal stem cells" to try and cure their sick child. These injections have reportedly caused tumors in the boy's brain and spinal chord, according to the top Israeli scientists. Stem cells are the building blocks for the other cells in the body, and can be used to regrow damaged tissues and treat otherwise incurable diseases. Scientists are furiously attempting to harness these cells and use them for good. However, for all of this promise, scientists have warned that they first must learn how to control these stem cells, in order to use them properly. This 13-year-old boy is now suffering because of the unknown problems associated with stem cell therapy. These stem cells were used without enough knowledge for the purpose of curing his brain disease.Tuesday's report of this fatal case emphasizes the need for further research into the world of stem cell therapy.
This young boy's case is truly sad. Because of his search for treatment, he is now faced with brain and spinal tumors that will plague him until the day that he dies. There are two main issues with respect to stem cell research and treatment. The first of these is that no medical therapy such as this can safely be used until extensive research has been undertaken to prove their safety in humans. Most medical therapies go through phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3 testing prior to being used on the general population. The trouble with stem cell research is that there are not enough centres conducting it, and being a new technology, it is very costly and time consuming to perform research in this field. This leads us to the second point. There is great controversy regarding the use of stem cells in medical therapy in general. This is thought to be the reason why inadequate stem cell research centers exist today. The controversy lies in the fear that stem cells will be used improperly to create genetic cloning of humans towards the aim of creating, for example, a higher and more supreme race. I feel that this danger may be a real one, but that we should not limit the development of stem cell technologies in medical research for the good of human kind. We can be vigilant and at the same time develop this technology for the greater good. The case of the young boy that we have just read about emphasizes this debate, but also the need for further research into the world of stem cells, until which time these stem cells should not be used.
This young boy's case is truly sad. Because of his search for treatment, he is now faced with brain and spinal tumors that will plague him until the day that he dies. There are two main issues with respect to stem cell research and treatment. The first of these is that no medical therapy such as this can safely be used until extensive research has been undertaken to prove their safety in humans. Most medical therapies go through phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3 testing prior to being used on the general population. The trouble with stem cell research is that there are not enough centres conducting it, and being a new technology, it is very costly and time consuming to perform research in this field. This leads us to the second point. There is great controversy regarding the use of stem cells in medical therapy in general. This is thought to be the reason why inadequate stem cell research centers exist today. The controversy lies in the fear that stem cells will be used improperly to create genetic cloning of humans towards the aim of creating, for example, a higher and more supreme race. I feel that this danger may be a real one, but that we should not limit the development of stem cell technologies in medical research for the good of human kind. We can be vigilant and at the same time develop this technology for the greater good. The case of the young boy that we have just read about emphasizes this debate, but also the need for further research into the world of stem cells, until which time these stem cells should not be used.
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