Beyond Stem Cells: Scientists Master Cell Transmogrification

Discover Magazine ^ | August 27, 2008 | (Unknown)

[aposiopetic]

In a discovery that’s being hailed as a leap forward in regenerative medicine, researchers have found a way to transform common pancreatic cells in an adult mouse into the rare, insulin-producing beta cells that are destroyed in type 1 diabetes. Previously, researchers believed that the only way to transmute an adult cell was to first coax it back into stem cell form and then to reprogram it; this new research removes the first step entirely.

[aposiopetic]

The lead author, Doug Melton, has no ethical problems with ESCR. However, this research is pure gene therapy, not ESCR. This is quite an amazing feat.

[aposiopetic]

Ping for pro-life.

[aposiopetic]

Further brazenly pro-life BTTT.

As science, this is amazing. To show how useless the whole ESCR project has been, even for its utilitarian ends, this is of perhaps even greater magnitude.

[aposiopetic]

Further pro-life ping.

[aposiopetic]

Could you relate this news to the Moral Absolutes list? I would be most grateful. Thank you.

[wagglebee]

Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

[vanishing liberty]

It’s just amazing the brilliant things that scientists keep coming up with, year after year. Yet they seem to get little respect from the public.

[Kevmo]

It's real cool that this is a prolife positive. I was just attracted to the thread because they used the word "transmogrification", and it's the first time I've ever seen it seriously used. I actually thought it was an invented word in the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. Ya learn something new every day. American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This trans·mog·ri·fy Audio Help (trāns-mŏg'rə-fī', trānz-) Pronunciation Key tr.v. trans·mog·ri·fied, trans·mog·ri·fy·ing, trans·mog·ri·fies To change into a different shape or form, especially one that is fantastic or bizarre. See Synonyms at convert. [Origin unknown.] trans·mog'ri·fi·ca'tion (-fĭ-kā'shən) n. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This trans·mog·ri·fy Audio Help /trænsˈmɒgrəˌfaɪ, trænz-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[trans-mog-ruh-fahy, tranz-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing. to change in appearance or form, esp. strangely or grotesquely; transform. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Origin: 1650–60; earlier also transmigrify, transmography; appar. a pseudo-Latinism with trans-, -ify] —Related forms trans·mog·ri·fi·ca·tion, noun Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

[johniegrad]

Thanks for the post, buddy. I’ve begun a local guild of the Catholic Medical Association here in our diocese and this is exactly the type of article we are looking for to review on the interface of science and religion. Bookmarked to share with others. There is also a priest from the St. John’s Monastery now involved in closely related basic science research at Baylor.

[Wuli]

ADULT stem cells prove ONCE AGAIN that it was a lie when they said “stem cell research is dead without ‘embryonic stem cells’ from living human embryos”.

[mike182d]

I'm afraid these scientists are a day late and a dollar short. Transmogrification has already been mastered:

[nomad]

Bump for later read.

[aposiopetic]

Thank you. And please add me to the list, which (if memory serves) I have neglected to ask to be included in up till now.

[aposiopetic]

Overworked and underfunded. But they love their work (when they can get away from grant-writing).

[aposiopetic]

Thanks for adding the definition to the thread. : - )

[aposiopetic]

Thank you as well. That is welcome news.

[aposiopetic]

And it looks like they even took a garden-variety adult cell that was not considered a stem cell, making the result all the more amazing (and putting the lie to any statement that would say that only ESCs have this capacity).

[aposiopetic]

Life imitates art (or something like that).

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[syriacus]

Neat!