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NCERX Special Report: Stem Cells, Part 2, Aug 2003 18th August 2003
Everyone's heard by now of the furor that surrounds stem cell research. But do you have to be a scientist to understand the issues? In this first of three articles about stem cell research, you will learn the basics about stem cells: what they are, and why they're important.
Stem Cell Research: The Controversy
The stem cell research controversy arises from two main issues. First, the process of harvesting embryonic stem cells kills a living embryo. Second, some stem cells are produced by cloning, a scientific method that many people are opposed to out of fear of the unknown consequences that may arise.
Harvesting Embryonic Stem Cells
Most scientists maintain that an embryo is not technically a fetus, that the early embryo is merely a ball of cells lacking human attributes. Therefore using the embryo to harvest stem cells for research does not result in the taking of a human life. Not everyone agrees.
Certainly not President G.W. Bush who declared, in his stance against the use of embryos for stem cell research, ". . . no human life should be exploited or extinguished for the benefit of another." He added, "Life is a creation, not a commodity."
Indeed, many concerned voters agree that harvesting stem cells is unethical or even a frightening proposition.
However, President Bush has okayed the use of stem cells that have been harvested from embryos that have already been destroyed. The supply is limited. In fact, at the time the research was authorized, politicians believed that stem cell lines were available from 60 embryos, but it turns out that only 10 are usable.
Cloning Stem Cells
When Dolly the sheep was cloned, scientists injected the nucleus of one of her cells into an egg that had had its own nucleus removed. The nucleus contains the DNA, the genetic "instructions." So by replacing the existing nucleus with a nucleus from one of Dolly's cells the scientist injected the entire genetic map that defined Dolly. The new cell began to divide eventually becoming a mass of cells called an embryo.
One way that scientists create embryonic stem cells is to remove the nucleus of an egg and replace it with the nucleus of an adult cell. This is essentially the same cloning process described above.
The similarity between processes is what makes critics nervous. They feel that a very fine line exists between producing embryonic stem cells in the lab and perfecting the cloning of humans. Authorizing the research, they fear, would allow scientists to cross the line without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, this fear is delaying important stem cell research.
Reproductive Cloning vs. Therapeutic Cloning
The purpose of reproductive cloning is to create a genetically equivalent copy of another living organism. Dolly the sheep is evidence that cloning is possible, however, she and other animal clones have developed serious malformations and the vast majority of reproductive cloning attempts simply fail. Most scientists are opposed to the cloning of humans, which is considered unsafe and unethical.
The goal of therapeutic cloning, on the other hand, is to create a source of undifferentiated stem cells that can be used to develop any tissue type in the body. These cells do not have the possibility to create a person, however, they can be used to repair damaged organs and may extend the life of some patients.
Banning cloning altogether without any distinction between the two types would prevent the development of treatments that could save millions of lives.
The Calamity: Misunderstanding the Research
Because issues of abortion and cloning make so many people nervous, even as they open interesting avenues of discussion about morality and ethics, some serious misunderstandings are getting in the way of research.
Medical scientists have never been so close to discoveries that can cure catastrophic diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, diabetes and heart disease.
In February of 2003, for example, an accident with a nail gun produced massive damage to the heart of 16-year-old Dimitri Bonnville of Michigan. Dimitri was spared the trauma of a heart transplant, however. Doctors transplanted stem cells harvested from his own blood into the artery that supplied blood to the damaged part of his heart. The damaged tissue began to heal and he went home a week later.
Doctors believe that Dimitri's age probably had a lot to do with the success of the procedure. Because he was young, using his adult stem cells seemed to work as well as a transplant of embryonic cells. His story points to the need for continuing with important stem cell research and of finding new ways to ensure that misunderstandings are not the major barrier to progress in saving lives.
This Special Report is brought to you courtesy of NCERX LLC, an independent information publisher dedicated to providing useful, timely, relevant, and easily understood information on a wide range of healthcare topics.
Stem Cell Research: The Good News! (part three)
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