I wonder if this is what Obama meant by “sound science over politics?”
A STEM cell therapy offering “natural†breast enlargement is to be made available to British women for the first time.
The treatment could boost cup size while reducing stomach fat. It involves extracting stem cells from spare fat on the stomach or thighs and growing them in a woman’s breasts. An increase of one cup size is likely, with the potential for larger gains as the technique improves.
A trial has already started in Britain to use stem cells to repair the breasts of women who have had cancerous lumps removed. A separate project is understood to be the first in Britain to use the new technique on healthy women seeking breast enlargement.
Now, while it might seem a bit silly and frivolous on the surface, particularly since the process will be used for regular breast enhancement, this is certainly good news for woman who have had mastectomies. The procedure makes the transplant of fat to the breast area safer, and can replace volume, though not “firmness and uplift.” One of the problems after the mastectomies is loss of self esteem, and creating more natural breasts, rather then using implants, can certainly help along those lines.
But, notice something: it was not embryonic stem cells. So far, ESCs have pretty much been worthless, except for wasting money. These appear to be adult stem cells, so put another tick in the box of what they can do. Even US Today acknowledges that embryonic stem cell research is obsolete.
H/T Don Surber
[…] Well boobs are made of more than just fat. They have connective tissues and ducts. So this “therapy” cannot replace the real thing…but it’s a nice dream. […]
And yet Obama not only signs a bill that will fund more ESC’s, he quietly UNsigns one that was active in the Bush years funding scientists to grow ESC’s out of adult stem cells.
I also heard that some research with ESC’s has resulted in growing TUMORs. There’s a lovely side effect.