We continue to report on stem cell research since it is clear that the joy and exuberance of researchers may one day (hopefully not too far away) translate into cure and joy for many afflicted with and suffering from a variety of diseases. While our earlier reports have somewhat centered on stem cell research in the field of cerebral palsy, rep0rts continue to surface as to a variety of other positive advances relating to adult disorders. 
As a side note – you may wonder why a law firm, whose task it is to represent those injured by the negligence of others, would have any interest in positive medical news. The answer is quite simple – having had the privilege of representing injured clients and making their lives a bit better monetarily, lawyers are always limited in just how much they can do to improve the quality of life for their clients. It is the medical community that will ultimately make the difference in alleviating if not curing these life-altering disabilities. Therefore, we at Nash & Associates have decided that in our blog, we will not only report on strictly legal issues (verdicts, key appellate decisions, changes in the law, etc.), but also on key medical news (the good, the bad and the ugly) including significant medical advances. Contrary to what many cynics say about the legal profession – it is not all about the money.
This point in history marks a period of approximately one year since President Obama removed limitations on research into embryonic stem cells. While significant amounts of research money was to be devoted toward this research, the financial crisis has no doubt had an impact on freeing up this financial commitment. What is of significance, however, is that the answers to many advances in treatment options using stem cells may lie in non-embryonic stem cells. A recent posting in Top News suggests that the excitement in the research community is in large part based on their recent discovery that adult stem cells taken from a patient’s bone marrow or belly fat may yield positive results equaling those of embryonic stem cells.
Dr. Joshua Hare, Director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University Of Miami Medical School stated that adult stem cells are more flexible than they had thought. The embryonic stem cell may not be the one that proves to be really successful in the actual therapy.
His institution has already been injecting the area around a patient’s heart so as to help heal the tissue injured in a heart attack. It is also noteworthy that adult cells are also being used in research programs to bring about improvement in functioning of patients with injured spinal cords.
For those of you interested in advances in stem cell research, there are many excellent blogs and reports appearing on almost a monthly, if not weekly basis. You may want to check out The Stem Cell, The Stem Cell Blog and a new friend of ours on Twitter – cellresearch. There is also a very helpful and informative site created by the National Institute of Health, which provides a very good basic understanding for the public of what stem cells are, the government’s policy on stem cell research, current research projects and the like.
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