Understanding Gain of Function and it’s impact on the Pandemic

In our 2022 year-end report, we briefly discussed an ethical issue directly associated with the recent pandemic, namely Gain of Function (GOF) research. It is vital that we possess understanding of GOF origins and significance.

GOF research had been quietly pursued internationally for decades before it was officially named and given public attention. In 2011, 2 groups of scientists (funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH)) genetically engineered an avian influenza virus (H5N1), making …

Medical Credibility Crisis

It is critical that all of us are aware of the credibility crisis that currently exists between the medical community and patients. During the unprecedented last 2.5 years, populations around the world have been repeatedly exposed to a new vaccine technology (mRNA) which did not complete long-term standard safety and efficacy research before it was brought to public use. Generally speaking, in times of crisis such as a pandemic, people trust the medical experts. In …

Gene Edited Pig Heart Successfully Transplanted

In a ground-breaking first, researchers and surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center have successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig heart into a dying man. For the heart to not be rejected once transplanted, 10 separate genes were deleted or added using CRISPR, earning the donor animal the nickname of a “10 gene pig”. Over 100,000 patients are awaiting an organ transplant at any given time, and about 20 of them die each day. This …

Growing Humans in Labratories – Abandoning 14 Day Rule

NCER Commentary:

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), …

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.

 …

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.

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 …

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 …

COVID Vaccine – Ethics and Efficacy Update