Now THAT Changes Everything

Yes indeed - this changes everything.

Two teams of scientists have given human skin cells many of the properties of embryonic stem cells—a development that could ease political, ethical, and medical concerns over the highly controversial research topic.
Like embryonic stem cells, the new cells—known as induced pluripotent cells—are capable of developing into most types of cells in the body. But the new lines can be created without the use of an embryo.

Emphasis is mine! Many folks said that science could do this. It's not a surprise. In the course of the debate, those of us who were against the use of embryo's for stem cell research or who were against the Missouri ballot measure that condoned cloning were vilified. To those that led the vilification charge, Katherine Jean Lopez has this to say.

To make the point Rush (Limbaugh) made was not mean or heartless, just as George W. Bush and Mitt Romney are not heartless for their leadership in highlighting alternatives to embryo-destroying stem-cell research. It was an honesty check — a worthwhile and fair one considering the disingenuousness that is characteristic of this debate.The stem-cell debate has been a Petri dish of deception. For one thing, where embryos will be created for embryonic-stem-cell research, reporters, iticians, activists rarely used the accurate term — cloning — to describe the Brave New World they were, sometimes with taxpayer money, seeking to create and expand. They needed taxpayer money because that’s not where the private money wanted to be — because it wasn’t a sure bet. Surer bets were — and increasingly are — alternatives to embryonic-stem-cell research. As Limbaugh put it last year on his radio show: “Not one disease has been impacted by embryonic-stem-cell research. Three pages of this, ladies and gentlemen. A total blank slate here, and these are all the diseases where adult stem cells have proven beneficial. You can see a blank slate versus the text: brain cancer, ovarian cancer, skin cancer, testicular cancer, tumors abdominal organs Lymphoma, lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. . . . That’s just some of the cancers adult stem cells are showing promise. Zip, zero, nada versus three pages of these things.”

Now before you go on the "ah-ha you DO get your talking points from Rush" accusation know this. I had this discussion long before Mr. Limbaugh got into it in 2006. As far back as 2005 I have been arguing with hEsc supporters that the market needs to do it's thing and it is clear that the market is having much better success with the hAsc research. Hopefully now this discovery (made in part at the University of Wisconsin Madison) will put the emphasis on hEsc aside for research that is really coming up with the cures that we need.