Robin Marston, 61, who suffered a heart attack a  week ago is now feeling fine after receiving stem cell treatment in an experimental trial. The stem cells were taken from his bone marrow and

Stem cells taken from bone marrow in his lower back were removed and he then received either his own stem cells or a placebo. The stem cell treatment is designed to “turn the clock back” for heart attack victims by repairing damaged heart tissue.

Four of San Diego’s biggest research institutions are teaming up to build the nation’s first stem cell center - the San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine,” in La Jolla.
The $115 million building would be built by the University of California San Diego, Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research by 2010.
“We have this vision of getting people with common interests in the same place so you get a synergy that enhances everyone’s individual capacity and makes things go faster,” Larry Goldstein, a Howard Hughes Institute stem cell researcher at the University of California San Diego told the newspaper Sign on San Diego.

The facility would be located on more than 7 acres owned by the University of California at San Diego in the Torrey Pines area biotechnology cluster. In 2004, California approved a measure creating a $3 billion stem cell research agency.

Embryonic stem cells are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells.

Traditional chemotherapy failed to cure a man’s advanced lymphoma and he went into remission a few years later. Fortunately, his condition was treated with a successful stem cell transplant.

Stem cell therapy is proving a lifesaver for patients with hematologic cancers. Still in the early test stages stem cell therapy is having success against other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, heart attack and diabetes. It’s also believed stem cell therapy will be effective for illnesses such as spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease.

Stem cells prove so effective due to their ability to generate into all types of cells within the body. Unfortunately the research is shrouded in misconception and fears. The strongest objections are coming from powerful religious groups.