~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael J. Fox: Keep funding stem cell research
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/08/fox.alzheimers.research/index.html?hpt=Sbin#fbid=IRd_NfVoZal&wom=false
By Michael J. Fox, Special to CNN
September 8, 2010 -- Updated 1414 GMT (2214 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Michael J. Fox says August brought good news, bad news for
research on chronic disease
* He says new collaboration helped scientists find biomarker for Alzheimer's
* Later, Judge ruled to stop fed funds for stem cell research,
bringing programs to halt
* Fox: Parkinson's Foundation backs moving past politics,
advancing stem cell research
Editor's note: Michael J. Fox is an Emmy Award winning actor,
best-selling author and advocate for Parkinson's research. His
foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease
through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the
development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's.
(CNN) -- Biomedical research is complicated. For patients, the pace of
progress can be frustratingly slow. Two announcements last month --
one about biomarkers, the other about stem cell research -- left many
of us feeling that for every promising discovery, there are even
greater setbacks.
We started August with good news about the discovery of an Alzheimer's
biological marker in spinal fluid that will allow earlier diagnosis of
patients who are experiencing some memory loss. It may not sound sexy.
But for Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones, the significance of
this finding is hard to overstate.
Biomarkers, which are substances or characteristics in our bodies that
are associated with the risk or presence of disease, are critical
tools in the quest for therapies that can slow or stop the progression
of neurodegenerative diseases. Until now, Alzheimer's researchers,
like those in the Parkinson's field, have not had the benefit of a
biomarker to guide their discovery.
This major breakthrough was the result of an unprecedented data
sharing and collaboration. A consortium of scientists and executives
across academia, government, industry, and the nonprofit world pooled
their collective interests into one larger, collaborative platform,
the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). In just six
years -- a relatively short time in biomedical research -- they
announced success.
But with this one step forward came two steps backward two weeks ago
when a U.S. judge granted a preliminary injunction to halt federal
funding for embryonic stem cell research.
This ruling, which is even more restrictive than President Bush's stem
cell research policies, goes against the beliefs of the majority of
Americans (in an August 2010 poll conducted by Research!America, 70
percent of respondents said they favor expanded funding for stem cell
research) and wastes more precious time for the millions of people
suffering from chronic diseases.
As a person with Parkinson's, it's hugely frustrating to think that
one decision can actively hold back research that holds promise to
transform lives. Patients with neurodegenerative diseases dream of the
day when disease-modifying treatments are found, instead of therapies
that simply mask symptoms. Disease-modifying therapies create the
possibility of newly diagnosed patients never having to experience
full-blown disease.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation has long championed the scientific
freedom to pursue all promising paths to finding these treatments.
Biomarker discovery and stem cell science are among the innovative
areas of biomedical research that hold potential to speed progress.
So while our foundation gears up to launch its most ambitious
biomarker discovery project to date, the Parkinson's Progression
Markers Initiative, with ADNI as a precedent, we'll also be standing
with Parkinson's patients, their loved ones and the majority of
Americans who want us to move beyond political agendas and advance the
promise of stem cell research.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael J. Fox.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tell your friends who love scientific news that they can
subscribe to this list !!
They can do it by sending a blank email to:
rael-science-select-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
It's free !
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
rael-science-select-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To change your e-mail address, unsubscribe from the old address and subscribe from the new address (see above).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
0 comments:
Post a Comment