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The public often have this preconceived notion about stem cell research, that we owe to kill the embryo in order to harvest the embryonic stem cells, right? NO!! well yes just until recently when a group of scientist led by Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts announced this week that they have successfully established embryonic stem (ES) cell lines without having to destroy the embryo.

The trick is to remove a single cell (blastomere) from an early cell mass known as a blastocyst (an
eight-cell human embryo).  The same technique, known as preimplantation genetic
diagnosis, is used to biopsy laboratory-made embryos for genetic
abnormalities. After the single blastomere is removed, the seven-cell
embryo goes on to develop normally. The even trickier part is that by suspending this extracted single cell close to the 7-cell mass, it received the proper signals and guidance to continue to proliferate. 

Eventually, the blastomeres were removed to a group of mouse support
cells that helped maintain the human cells as ES cells. Meanwhile, the
original blastocyst embryo was safely returned to the freezer. "These
are the first human embryonic stem cells in existence to be made
without destroying an embryo," said Lanza, whose team is preparing the
findings for publication.

With this breakthrough, congress(and especially the white house) really owe to rethink the possible therapeutic benefits of Stem Cell research and regenerative medicine.  Now that we have bypass the ethical and legal issues dealing with a human being, the next step should be asking what sort of signals are being passed onto the blastomere that would eventually turn into a pleuripotent ES cell line?  I hope, in our life time, we could achieve regenerating livers at least.

So all you alcoholics, praise stem cell research please.

Source: ScienceNOW Daily News, June 19th, 2007

It’s been awhile since the last attempt to clone primates.  Recently at an international stem cell research conference a team of US researchers reported the success in cloning embryonic stem cell from rhesus monkey.  They were able to remove the chromosomes from the primate eggs, and replace them with the chromosomes of skin cells.

about ~8% success rate was reported (21/278) in producing a hollow embryonic ball (called blastocyst), with the right polor axis and orientation.  Eventually, 2 embryonic stem cell lines were created.  This means the cells in the cell line could  be "told" to turn into specific tissues/organs/organisims later.  The work was carried out by
Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon National Primate Research Center in
Portland and colleagues.

source: Nature 447, 891      (21 June 2007)

Crocodiles, Fairies, Pirates, and Indians… how do you re-conjure up
the lost memory of childhood from these old, stubborn, and just acerbic
adult bodies of ours?
I find it increasing difficult for grown-ups to even think near the
edge of box, let alone outside the box and beyond the box.  How could
we ever free our mind?

In the world of often pressing daily annoyances, fights, deaths, and quarrels, our minds are constantly either jaded, drugged, or empty.  Duties and tasks become so mechanical and methodical, we became no different than machines, the breathing, walking…brain dead.

In my recently found past time, I find this movie amusing and could relate somewhat closely with it.  In the movie Finding Neverland, Academy acclaimed actor Johhny Depp is
the child who never wanted to grow up, who tried everything in his
power NOT to be a star (well… good try).  While he constantly struggled to make peace with the society, he could not find even find peace with his family.  Equally mesmerizing, Kate Winslet played a
widowed mother with four children who longed for this magically place called
Neverland. Eventually, she could toss away the stifling struggle of life and live to believe in fairytale.  Equally painful is the process of growing up, the children must face the death of their mother.  But how do they come to a consensus between their imagination and reality?  Where do they find the tipping equilibrium?  Without giving anything further away, I think this movie is one of the best I’ve seen.  it’s a story about the original author of Peter Pan, how he struggled in life to help a poor widow and an old mother to start believing in Neverland again. 

Interestingly, Neverland is a vague psychological symbol, it is a
place that is different depending on who you talk to.  Some would say
it’s a place where your imagination is unlimited, others would tell you
it’s a place where you never die…etc  It’s amorphous enough
where we could make it anything we want to be.

The bottom line, however, which I think is also the most beloved key of this movie, is perhaps the fact that Neverland promised one would find limitless possibilities with no rules and boundaries in this Uptoia of free minds!  Depp is just a fascinating character. When
you watch him in the film he’s unbelievably under the age of twenty! 

So where do we find peace? Does it represent that bit of complacency we find in ourselves when we die?  or we could live to see Neverland?