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should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
by wiradikusuma 10y ago
should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
- staticautomatic 10y agoI don't see why that would be necessary. I skimmed the article and did some additional poking around for the protein at issue. I can't tell if it's been characterized, but it may be possible to synthesize it or get cells to produce it for you- either or which would obviate the need to extract it from actual cord blood.
- car 10y agoTIMP2 is a well known protein, available from many sources like this one: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sigma/srp3174?lang=en®ion=US http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sigma/srp3174?la...
- moh_maya 10y agoand to add to car's point, it is a recombinant protein produced in E.coli (the foundational bacteria on which biomedical research has been built). Easy to grow, easy to manipulate. We may not need cord-blood at all. Which is a good thing in terms of the potential ethical issues that will crop up.
- ada1981 10y agoExcuse the novice question.. so this protein is available for sale online? I have an aging grandmother who is in her last weeks of life, though the doctors don't know why her body is failing despite strong heart and brain. She is up for trying most anything and would probably be up for experimenting in herself.
- alpb 10y agoListen to NPR's story for contemporary opinions against how this might not work for humans. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/19/523975844/human-umbilical-cord-blood-helps-aging-mice-remember-study-finds http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/19/52397584...
- f4rker 10y agoNpr is not a great news source
- MichaelBurge 10y agoThey already harvest abortions for stem cells and such, so this wouldn't present any new ethical issues even if it were true.