Paralysis along with heart disease, diabetes, stroke, even Alzheimer's, MS and Parkinson's diseases show astonishing potential for reversal through the aid of stem cells.

Although highly discussed, not too many are aware of the different types of stem cells.

Fetal or Embryonic Stem Cell

Fetal or embryonic stem cells are taken from female eggs. What most people do not realize is that thousands of eggs are simply thrown away every year by fertility clinics, which could be used to cure these horrible disabilities and diseases. To some people, taking stem cells from a fetus or embryo amounts to unethical exploitation of human life, and healing one life does not justify destroying another. Patients with grave disabilities and diseases beg to differ. U.S. News & World Report quoted paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve as demanding, "Is it more ethical for a woman to donate unused embryos that will never become human beings, or to let them be tossed away as garbage when they could help save thousands of lives?"

Adult Stem Cell

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), the origin of adult stem cells in mature tissues is unknown.

Research on adult stem cells has recently generated a great deal of excitement. Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led scientists to ask whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult blood forming stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions. If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common disabilities and diseases.

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We plan to send these names along with the comments to Congress and the President to help speed up the process to remove restrictions on stem cell research.

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