The advances that have been made in the field of medicine over the past few decades are truly amazing. Diseases and complications that used to cause millions of deaths are now routinely treated. Organs are transplanted and it is even possible to perform surgery on unborn babies. The list goes on and on and at the same time research continues unabated. Bone marrow transplants are of particular interest to many and stem cell therapy centers say that they are working at a major breakthrough.
The concept of bone marrow transplant is not a recent one. These transplants have been performed for a long time. Until now, however, only those that suffer from leukemia and other blood related cancers qualified. The chemo therapy that these patients receive indiscriminately destroys all the healthy and diseased blood cells and with the transplants it is hoped that the growth of new and healthy blood cells will be encouraged. Sadly, the success rate is low.
Bone marrow transplants are not yet a cure for cancer. At best it can add some years to the lives of desperately ill patients. Researchers think that these transplants will become a cure in the future, however. They believe that further research will help them to use such transplants to cure not just leukemia but also many other cancers. Progress is slow and there is no chance of a major breakthrough in the immediate future.
It is not just a cure for cancer that is sought by scientists. They also place a high priority on researching the possibility that bone marrow transplants will be effective in the stimulation of new brain cells. The idea is that transplants will be used to generate new brain cells to replace those damaged and destroyed by diseases such as Alzheimer, brain injuries and spinal injuries.
Heart disease is also in the target of researchers. They think that eventually they will be able to use bone marrow transplants to not just regenerate, but to replace destroyed cells in the heart. Since heart disease is still one of the major killer diseases all over the world, advances in this direction will indeed affect many millions of lives. One can but hope, perhaps even pray.
The potential of bone marrow transplants seems to be phenomenal but this field has many critics. They say that there is not one shred of evidence that transplants actually work. In fact, they are downright dangerous, they say and patients are not fully informed of this fact. Researchers are overly optimistic and they are misleading the public and the health authorities all to raise yet more money for further research.
Critics are particularly concerned about the fact that the cells used during these transplants are routinely harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This is a major ethical dilemma, they say. Not only is the life of the unborn baby endangered, but there is also the awful possibility that women will become pregnant for the sole purpose of selling the cells harvested.
Despite the controversy surrounding bone marrow transplants many people still remain excited about the possibilities that it offers. If only a fraction of the expectations of researchers come true, millions of lives will be saved. Unfortunately, it is still years before any such results will be possible.
The concept of bone marrow transplant is not a recent one. These transplants have been performed for a long time. Until now, however, only those that suffer from leukemia and other blood related cancers qualified. The chemo therapy that these patients receive indiscriminately destroys all the healthy and diseased blood cells and with the transplants it is hoped that the growth of new and healthy blood cells will be encouraged. Sadly, the success rate is low.
Bone marrow transplants are not yet a cure for cancer. At best it can add some years to the lives of desperately ill patients. Researchers think that these transplants will become a cure in the future, however. They believe that further research will help them to use such transplants to cure not just leukemia but also many other cancers. Progress is slow and there is no chance of a major breakthrough in the immediate future.
It is not just a cure for cancer that is sought by scientists. They also place a high priority on researching the possibility that bone marrow transplants will be effective in the stimulation of new brain cells. The idea is that transplants will be used to generate new brain cells to replace those damaged and destroyed by diseases such as Alzheimer, brain injuries and spinal injuries.
Heart disease is also in the target of researchers. They think that eventually they will be able to use bone marrow transplants to not just regenerate, but to replace destroyed cells in the heart. Since heart disease is still one of the major killer diseases all over the world, advances in this direction will indeed affect many millions of lives. One can but hope, perhaps even pray.
The potential of bone marrow transplants seems to be phenomenal but this field has many critics. They say that there is not one shred of evidence that transplants actually work. In fact, they are downright dangerous, they say and patients are not fully informed of this fact. Researchers are overly optimistic and they are misleading the public and the health authorities all to raise yet more money for further research.
Critics are particularly concerned about the fact that the cells used during these transplants are routinely harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This is a major ethical dilemma, they say. Not only is the life of the unborn baby endangered, but there is also the awful possibility that women will become pregnant for the sole purpose of selling the cells harvested.
Despite the controversy surrounding bone marrow transplants many people still remain excited about the possibilities that it offers. If only a fraction of the expectations of researchers come true, millions of lives will be saved. Unfortunately, it is still years before any such results will be possible.
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