Juvenile Diabetes. How can stem cell research help Juvenile Diabetes patients Juvenile diabetes, also called Type 1 diabetes, is a disease that strikes …
Stem Cell Research Can Help 100 Million People
ALS
How can stem cell research help ALS patients like Van Ballew?
Van, 54, has had ALS for 3 years, a disease that is usually fatal within
two to five years He was an accomplished university professor and private
entrepreneur Today he cannot walk, talk, eat or breathe properly ALS
is genetic in Vans case, so his 3 children and 5 grandchildren are at
risk If successful, stem cell transplants will help Van live longer
Eventually, stem cells may help his body grow new connections between his
nerves and muscles and help him move again, breathe on his own, feed
himself, hold the people he loves and give his family, who is also at risk,
some hope
Canavan
How can stem cell research help Canavan patients like Max Randell?
Max Randell is dying-he will not likely live to see his 10th birthday
Canavan is a progressive disease that is constantly attacking Maxs brain
and doing irreparable damage Stem cells may offer Max a chance at life
because of their unique ability to repair damage already done to the brain
Cancer
How can stem cell research help cancer patients like Andrea
Untrojb?
Andrea, a 35 year old mother of two young children, was diagnosed with
ovarian cancer at a young age and is at high risk for recurrence Her two
daughters are also at high risk for cancer Stem cells may be used to
treat the tissue toxicity resulting from cancer therapy, or lead to more
targeted therapies Additionally, further study may provide critical
insight as to why cancer cells develop, behave, and survive despite
agressive treatment
Juvenile Diabetes
How can stem cell research help Juvenile Diabetes patients like the Singer
twins?
Juvenile diabetes, also called Type 1 diabetes, is a disease that strikes
children and adults suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life,
and carries the constant threat of devastating complications such as
blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke
Scientists believe the bodys own immune system attacks and destroys
insulin-producing cells in the pancreas Embryonic stem cell research could
help cure juvenile diabetes by turning embryonic stem cells into healthy
insulin-producing islets that could be transplanted into people with the
disease
Kernicterus
How can stem cell research help Kernicterus
patients like David Haus?
Kernicterus is an easily prevented type of brain damage caused by severe
and untreated neonatal jaundice Children with kernicterus suffer from
choreoathetoid cerebral palsy, gaze abnormalities, hearing impairment, and
dental enamel dysplasia These are bright, intelligent children Stem cell
implantation is their best bet for a treatment that will improve their
quality of life
Parkinsons Disease
How can stem cell research help Parkinsons patients like Joan Samuelson?
Scientific experts named Parkinsons as one of the first disorders to
benefit from embryonic stem cell research and predicted it could be cured
in as little as five years with adequate resources Parkinsons is a
chronic, degenerative and presently incurable illness that makes it
difficult to walk, causes uncontrollable tremors, and in its final stages
robs individuals of the ability to speak or move Embryonic stem cell
research is the best chance Joan Samuelson and the million Americans who
suffer from Parkinsons have to cure this devastating disease
Rett Syndrome
How can stem cell research help Rett Syndrome patients like Alyssa Thomas?
Rett Syndrome RS is
a debilitating neurological disorder that deprives
little girls of communication and motor skills, leaving them completely
dependent on others for every basic need Although the gene that causes RS
is known MECP2, the neurobiology of the disorder is not understood Stem
cell research will help explain how mutations in the gene cause the array
of symptoms Furthermore, stem cells could potentially be used to transport
a genetically modified MECP2 gene to replace the mutated one
Stem cell transplants may replace subpopulations of neurons that are not
functioning properly This avenue of research holds great promise for Rett
Syndrome, a disorder that currently has no treatments and no cure
Spinal Cord Injury
How can stem cell research help Spinal Cord Injury patients like Emily
Hunt?
Spinal cord injury patients would benefit greatly from even limited
restoration of lost functions-gaining partial use of a limb instead of
none, or restoring bladder control, or being freed from pain Such limited
restoration of part of a patients lost function is, for some less severe
types of injury, perhaps a more achievable immediate goal In many spinal
injuries, the spinal cord is not
actually cut and at least some of the
signal-carrying neuronal axons remain intact But the surviving axons no
longer carry messages because cells called oligodendrocytes, which produce
the myelin sheath that insulates the axons, are lost
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Source:obgyn.net
