Stem Cells Reverse Erectile Dysfunction

Lindsay Beyerstein January 25, 2012

Researchers in Louisiana used stem cell therapy to reverse erectile dysfunction in rats:

Damage to parts of the penis vital for proper erections has been repaired for the first time with the help of stem cells. In rats, the treatment restored full erections, improved blood flow and accelerated healing.

Ultimately, the researchers hope to treat the 3 to 9 per cent of men who have Peyronie’s disease, which damages the membrane surrounding the chambers within the penis that swell with blood during arousal. This makes it difficult to achieve a straight erection. [New Scientist]

If this therapy proves effective for humans, expect conservative opposition to stem cell research to rapidly deflate. If it comes down to boners vs. the unborn, boners will win.

Lindsay Beyerstein is an award-winning investigative journalist and In These Times staff writer who writes the blog Duly Noted. Her stories have appeared in Newsweek, Salon, Slate, The Nation, Ms. Magazine, and other publications. Her photographs have been published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times’ City Room. She also blogs at The Hillman Blog (http://www.hillmanfoundation.org/hillmanblog), a publication of the Sidney Hillman Foundation, a non-profit that honors journalism in the public interest.