3,500 register as would-be stem cell hub guinea pigs

guinea pig

In what seemed hopes born of desperation for miracle cures, 400 people suffering a range of illnesses gathered yesterday at The World Stem Cell Hub at Seoul National University Hospital, on the center's first day of receiving applications to take part in customized stem cell research. Officials warned, however, that the prospective patients must also be patient.

Early in the morning, Lee Geum-sun, who accompanied her 34-year-old wheelchair-bound son, Chang Woo-suk, burst into tears as she filled out an application form.
"I just hope new medical treatment is developed soon from stem cell research, so at least my son can go to the bathroom by himself," she said.

Mr. Chang has suffered Parkinson's Disease for 10 years and can barely move himself. "Although I do rehabilitation exercises every day, for my mother who has to take care of me 24 hours a day, it has not made much difference. Stem cell research is my only hope," said Mr. Chang.
Ryu Hye-ran, a nurse at the center, said, "The center was supposed to open at 9 a.m., but patients came far earlier in the morning." The center's Web site was unavailable at dawn because it was flooded with people downloading the application form, Ms. Ryu said.

The Web site recorded 20,000 hits, seven times the usual number. Five hundred prospective patients applied in person yesterday, 2,500 online and a further 500 by phone and fax.

Some people journeyed a long way from the countryside and local provinces, including Yang Man-woo, a 51-year-old farmer who had taken an early morning train from Namwon, North Jeolla province.
"My youngest child died and my wife was paralyzed in a car accident four years ago," said Mr. Yang. He claimed mental shock had caused lung cancer in himself, saying, "I don't know how I will be able to take care of my wife."

Mr. Yang said he hopes at least his wife can be rehabilitated.

"All the people who come to the Hub probably have the highest hopes for Professor Hwang Woo-suk's research, like I do," said Mr. Yang.

An official at the center said, "Receiving applications is just the beginning of the process to select patients and extract stem cells from them. Patients should not have hasty expectations as medical treatment or clinical trials have not even begun."

source: national