Golden retrievers who suffer from a form of muscular dystrophy very similar to Duchenne in humans have been greatly helped by injection of adult stem cells derived from blood vessel walls.
Since the dog disease is caused by a mutation in the same gene as the human one, this research is especially exciting. Although it isn’t a cure for the disease, one can imagine that repeated injections of stem cells could turn it from a fatal one to merely chronic.
(HT: Wesley Smith)
![[SMMMHDH]](http://missionterritory.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
Thank you for clarifying “adult” stem cell. So many people are confused on the difference between adult stem cell and embryonic. Embryonic stem cells are the cells extracted from an embryo – in which the embryo is then destroyed. Embryonic stem cells have proven to be dangerous. These cells have grown gross human tissue such as hair, teeth and muscle mass when injected in a sick patient. Embryonic cells are not mature and cannot “identify” what type of cells to grow. (I am not an MD, so my explanation might be a bit vague or somewhat incomplete.) Adult stem cells include the cells taken from an umbilical cord or placenta after the birth of a child. These cells are very healthy and rich in stem cells. These “adult” cells have proven to be very beneficial in combating disease and growing body tissues.