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G.
11-08-06, 06:39 PM
:thumbup:

Cool stuff!
DO NOT TURN THIS INTO A STEM CELL/POLITICAL THREAD!!!!!!!

It's just cool research.

Blind mice see again after retina cell transplants By Patricia Reaney
Wed Nov 8, 9:28 AM ET



LONDON (Reuters) - British and American scientists have restored vision in blind mice by transplanting light-sensitive cells into their eyes in a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments of human eye diseases.

The mice suffered from eye damage called photoreceptor loss which occurs in macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss in the elderly, and other eye disorders.

But instead of using stem cells, which could form into any cell type, the scientists transplanted cells that had reached a later stage of development toward becoming photoreceptor cells.

"We have shown for the first time that it is possible to transplant photoreceptors," said Dr Robert MacLaren, a scientist and eye surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.


no politics
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/sight_dc)

emjaya
11-08-06, 07:01 PM
Was there three of them?:D

cameraman
11-08-06, 07:22 PM
That is impressive work. The beauty of it is it uses the body's normal developmental processes to do the work. You just have to add the right cell type into the right place, the body does everything else. Figuring out the definition of "right" was a whole lot of very hard work.

The only bad thing is the biological realities of the process are going to send the research straight into the middle of a political firestorm:irked:

TrueBrit
11-09-06, 05:08 PM
That is incredible...truly magnificent step forward...

oddlycalm
11-10-06, 03:37 PM
Well I hope those researchers are happy now that they've potentially ruined one of the oldest and dearest childrens songs of all time. "Three Blind Mice" simply won't make sense to children when there are no more blind mice. :gomer:

oc

cameraman
11-10-06, 04:21 PM
But will they be able to afford the treatment? The evil federal government bureaucrats will not grant mice medicaid coverage. How will blind mice be able afford the transplants?

Dr. Corkski
11-10-06, 05:10 PM
I bet that mouse enjoys sodomy now.