Another distressing first in scientific research
NCER Update
by: Carol Szczepaniak
Date:5-12-21
Mammalian embryos have been grown outside of a womb. The implications are chilling.
For the first time in Developmental Biology, a mammalian (mouse) embryo has been observed as it developed through half of its gestation period (11 weeks) while outside a natural womb. Using an intricate artificial placenta that provided oxygen and controlled atmospheric pressure, researchers in Israel successfully documented the formation of germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm), …
14
May
May
New versions of “Pandora’s” Ethics box keep being opened
NCER Update
by: Carol Szczepaniak
Date:5-12-21
An international research team from China and the US has made history by successfully injecting human stem cells into macaque monkey embryos, and growing them in the lab for 20 days. This kind of creation is referred to as a chimera, named after a Greek mythological monster, because it is the blending of DNA from distinctly different species. The hypothetical goal is to gain understanding of and new …
14
May
May
Alzheimer’s: Mouse study may have uncovered drug that can prevent the disease
NCER Comments: One in 14 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. This translates to 5.7 M in the US alone. There is no cure, only drug therapies that may lose their efficacy within months. Plaques are sticky deposits that build up in the brain and prevent communication between brain cells, leading to cognitive impairment. But three new protein, antibody and drug breakthroughs are on the cusp of changing everything.
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16
Apr
Apr
2020 Was a Breakout Year for Crispr
NCER Comments: Sickle Cell Anemia is a heritable disease that 1 in every 13 Black or African American babies possess when born. Red blood cells are abnormally shaped, so are unable to carry oxygen needed for all tissues and organs to survive. The average lifespan is only 40 years, but a new development using the CRISPR gene editing tool looks like a true cure.
SCIENCE
2020 Was a Breakout
16
Apr
Apr
Breakthrough discovery could turn cancer into a treatable disease
NCER Comments:
Cancer is the #2 killer in the US, with over 600,000 patients dying annually. Presently, there is no cure BUT… an old drug is being used in a new way to halt cancer from metastasis; and a new cancer vaccine is close to human trials.
Professor Michael Lisanti and Professor Federica Sotgia have made a discovery that could turn cancer into a treatable disease and …
16
Apr
Apr
Stem Cell Therapy: A Potential Crohn’s Disease Breakthrough?
NCER Comments: Inherited chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract is referred to as Crohn’s disease. Drug therapy only scratches the surface of the pain it inflicts. However, there is new hope! Researchers have used the patients own stem cells to substantially reduced symptoms.
Louis A. Cona, MD
Medical Director | DVC Stem
Stem cell therapy may be a viable new treatment option for Crohn’s Disease. Studies have shown that stem cells may be able …
16
Apr
Apr
Johnson & Johnson New Covid-19 Vaccine
Johnson & Johnson has just received approval from the FDA for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine, making it the 3rd vaccine, and the first typical “viral vector” vaccine to treat COVID here in the United States. Johnson & Johnson joins Astrazeneca as a more traditional alternative to the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines approved for COVID. Traditional vaccines inject actual pieces of a virus, whether alive or dead, to elicit a response from our …
What is Transhumanism – and why should I care?
NCER Comments – 1-26-2021
- What is Transhumanism?
The prefix Trans means crossing over a boundary; in this case, the boundary of being human.
It’s a philosophy or ideology that aims to control and transform the human species to a higher state using bio technologies, in order to eliminate suffering, disease, aging and death because those are considered mankind’s enemy. This ideology is based on secular humanism- the belief that the tangible world is the only …
02
Feb
Feb
COVID Vaccine – Ethics and Efficacy Update
All of us will soon be making a decision on whether we will be receiving one of the new COVID-19 vaccines. The goal of NCER is to provide knowledge and understanding of these vaccines, which will give us power to make ethical choices, giving us peace of mind and heart for ourselves and our families.
The Pfizer COVID vaccine has just been approved for emergency use, and Healthcare workers are the first in line to
Thank You for Making 2020 our Best Year Yet
Dear NCER Supporter,
The year 2020 has been quite the rollercoaster ride, and we hope you and your families have withstood the barrage of challenges it has brought. We reported the following medical ethics developments to you over the last year:
- The rogue Chinese medical researcher, He Jiankui, was sentenced to prison for unethically creating the world’s first gene-edited children.
- Women who donated their eggs for in vitro fertilization or gene editing research faced detrimental