My Thoughts on the World Stem Cell Summit

I recently returned home from the World Stem Cell Summit, that was held in Madison, Wisconsin September 22nd and 23rd. Stem cell researchers from around the globe were all there (ok, well most), and gave panels re: the research they're doing presently, the results they're getting, and how to do things better. It was pretty much one of the coolest things I've ever been to. Although driving 4.5 hours there with hand controls is thoroughly exhausting (red marks on my wrists and sore, stiff arms), I'm very glad I went.

I attended so many panels I can't even remember them all, but the ones that stand out the most were the "SCI Regenerative Medicine" panel, where both Dr. Wise Young and Dr. Hans Kierstad (sp?) gave slide show presentations showcasing their work. Dr. Wise is very busy trying to get human trials up and running in China (using stem cells and Lithium treatments, plus intense rehab), but believe it or not, the government over there is just as bitchy as here. Perhaps even worse if you listen to him. There's a lot more agencies, like 8 layers deep, before anything gets approved. At least in the US there's only one layer: The FDA.

I also attended a "break-out" session, in which Dr. Wise Young was also in attendance. The jargon used in this panel was much more easy to understand thank gods. These researchers are all pretty much geniuses and when they give official big presentations it can be hard to follow everything if you're not a doctor yourself. But in this particular panel they discussed the embryonic stem cell injection treatments going on in India. Most doctors there agreed it is pretty shady, still, mainly because the results are pretty much impossible to believe/follow since the research going on there is very much cloaked in secrecy.

Oh, I also received a beautiful (and real) pearl necklace from another (recently) SCI injured man who owns a business dedicated to selling low-cost supplies to stem cell research labs. The irony in his business is that he started his business before his injury. How crazy is that?

So to sum up: No one (yet) is walking yet from embryonic stem cells. Some are getting a few levels back, but nothing close to a "cure," but hope still remains.