X-Message-Number: 25867
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Re: stem cells and lost teeth
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:36:49 -0000

Randall Burns writes about stem cells and lost teeth.

One of the big difficulties with medical research is that once a process has
been developed it take decades to get to the public. A recent exchange on
Longevity Report
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LongevityReport/message/201 suggests
how, although the medical profession knows how to save many patients who
have had strokes, only hospitals in centres of population  in the USA can
offer a MRI scan within three hours and then the administration of
appropriate medicines based on the result. Canada and the rest of the world
just offer palliative care, which leaves patients either dead or disabled
unless they can recover using their bodies' own resources.

If an early product from stem cell research is relatively simple to apply
and can be made available to a large number of people through an existing
network of practitioners (high street dental surgeons), then it will give
the whole subject a large degree of credibility and thereby attract more
funding for more complicated tasks. Teeth just exist and rely on other
structures to cut and grind food, they don't "do" anything complicated like
nerves and muscles. The job of regrowing them may be a whole lot easier, and
therefore should come first. Walk before you can run.

Of course if the application of stem cell technology to replacing lost teeth
requires a massive support team and huge hospitals for each patient, then
this comment is not valid. Maybe others can comment on this aspect.

-- 
Sincerely, John de Rivaz:  http://John.deRivaz.com for websites including
Cryonics Europe, Longevity Report, The Venturists, Porthtowan, Alec Harley
Reeves - inventor, Arthur Bowker - potter, de Rivaz genealogy,  Nomad .. and
more

>>>
From: Randall Burns <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #25840 - #25854 < http://www.cryonet.org >

I have some questions for folks here about stem cell
research. The first major application I've seen is the
proposal to allow replacement of lost teeth. I've also
heard of proposals to allow stem cells to cure spinal
cord injuries.  What are the major early applications
of stem cells folks anticipate? Is there any available
research on the use of stem cells to spur human glands
to maintain youthful levels of hormone
production(testosterone, HGH etc)? Thanks!
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