Stem Cell Research Is Growing Again
http://www.wired.com/medtech/stemcells/news/2008/04/portfolio_0402 Stem Cell Research Is Growing Again By David Ewing Duncan, Portfolio.com 04.02.08 | 2:00 PM News from Portfolio.com In the embryonic stem-cell wars, the microscopic building blocks of human life have been fodder for presidential politics, pro- and anti-evolutionists, multibillion-dollar state ballot initiatives, and squabbles among Hollywood celebrities—and even members of Ronald Reagan's family. Now it appears that embryonic stem cells may be nearly ready for something altogether different: treating patients. This is according to a briefing after the first-ever meeting of the Global Forum of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, recently in Half Moon Bay, California, about 25 miles south of San Francisco. Since James Thompson of the University of Wisconsin-first isolated embryonic stem cells in 1998, the conversation among researchers has been have been more about promise than reality. The promise is that stem cells, which can grow into any body part, could be used to replace or regenerate damaged cells in the heart, brain, liver, skin, and spine. But the reality is that the science of understanding how these cells develop and how they might be used in patients has been frustratingly difficult. Politics hasn't helped. In 2001, President Bush restricted federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells, setting back efforts in the U.S. for years while world-class programs developed in Europe, China, and elsewhere. Bush has vetoed an attempt to lift the funding curbs, though a new era is poised to begin with whichever presidential candidate is elected this November. All three remaining major-party candidates—Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain—have said they favor lifting the Bush restrictions. Now a leading researcher, Robert Klein, director of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is saying that fresh heart and liver cells derived from stem cells may be ready for -*test*-('")ing in humans within 18 months. Safety -*test*-('")s for using stem cells to treat paralysis could start within a year, he told the San Jose Mercury News after the meeting in Half Moon Bay; -*test*-('")s for stem cells that replace damaged retinas could start in two years. Later will come stem-cell trials to replace bone and cartilage and to better target bone-marrow transplants to treat leukemia. Scientists are poised right now to use stem cells to -*test*-('") for toxicity in drugs being developed, said Klein. Researchers hope to replace animal -*test*-('")ing, which is notoriously unreliable, with human stem cells to determine whether or not a candidate medication is safe. Klein was the leading figure in the effort to persuade California to approve a $3 billion, 10-year state-bond initiative to fund stem-cell research. (Bush's restrictions apply only to federal funds.) The institute that Klein now runs is charged with distributing the money raised each year from the sale of those bonds. Several companies and medical centers in the U.S. and abroad are already -*test*-('")ing or using so-called adult stem cells to grow or regenerate damaged corneas and bone tissue. Adult stem cells do not come from embryos; they are special cells in the brain, skin, or certain organs that produce fresh supplies of cells as needed by the body. StemCells Inc. of Palo Alto, California, for instance, recently announced successful early-stage trial results that used stem cells to treat a patient with Batten's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Injected into the brain, the stem cells were designed to stimulate the production of an enzyme that's missing in such patients. Thompson, the stem-cell pioneer, wasn't optimistic about the near-term outlook for stem-cell-based treatments—until recently. "The field is moving very fast now," he said, when I visited him recently in Wisconsin. "I'm now thinking it is time to start thinking seriously about commercialization." Last fall, he once again shifted the debate about stem cells by announcing that he had transformed skin cells into something very similar to embryonic stem cells. Using special genes added to the cells, his team tricked the cells into reverting back to their embryonic state. If this discovery pans out, it might dissipate the controversy over having to harvest stem cells from human embryos, which usually causes the destruction of the embryo. Thompson said he believes that these reverted cells can be fine-tuned to develop into any cells that need replacing, though it would be years before any such designer stem cells could prove practical. "The beginning of trials are cause for celebration," Klein told the Mercury, "but patients and their families know to expect setbacks and difficulties, as well as victories. We have to have tolerance for setbacks and to respect patients' decisions to take risks." The best news in all of this is that this odd period when promising therapies were slowed down by an ideological stance supported by a minority of Americans is nearly over—and that meanwhile the science has managed to make strides anyway.

Much in the U.S may be decided by who wins the Presidency. If the Neocons get McCain elected, federal stem-cell research funding will be quashed (again).

I hope there is no one among us who isn't voting.

last i checked mcain was pro stem cells since he is also pro choice. besides the debate is actually over they now know they can get embryonic stem cells from ones own skin. The process is new but as it develops the debate is fading away.

I hope that is the case. Is the research far enough along to say that definitely?

Uh, McCain is pro federal funding for stem cell research. The ignorance on this issue is maddening. Fenderal funding plays a minor role in the advancement of stem cell research. Just with the majority of breakthroughs in drug development and scientific discoveries, most of the funding for stem cell research will come from the private sector. And Matt, on a personal note, I am a little surprised that you would bring politics into this. You seemed to be quite bothered with some of the religious overtones of some of the posts over the past week or two. Don't you think its a little hypocritical of you to interject your own political beliefs into an issue on this message board? I'm not much of a religious person myself, so, I don't have a problem with a rule that requires people keep their personal religious beliefs away from the board. I would think that applies to politics as well, as I'm sure most aren't interested in what yours or anyone else's political leanings are. I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, I'm just trying to keep this board from becoming one giant battle royal over beliefs, both political and religious.

It won't fade away, because embryonic cells a far easier to get than to retrieve stem cells from mature cells, like skin, and much cheaper too... Besides, there is a bigger ethical debate now and that is that scientists all over the world (with Britain leading this) are taking an egg from animals (pigs, cows, monkeys) and take out it's nuclei and introduce a human nuclei than fertilize it receiving an embryo cell. Which they can allow a week or two to multiply and then they can retrieve stem cells from. Thus, technically they are not creating a human, although really they are... clever right? Of course all the reactionists have come up now with a new fear to frightened everyone with - saying that if this is allowed some mad scientist will use this process to incriminate a woman with this fertilized egg who will give birth to a part human part animal baby.., But they are wrong because even if such a fertilized will survive in the womb and birth will take place it will be of a baby that has 100% human DNA (as the egg itself without the nuclei is just a shell - the vessel carrying the DNA). Isn't ludicrous how it is often the same right winged reactionist that fear stem cell research so much and at the same time claim that there is no such thing as global warming and support building of nuclear power stations and the development of ever more terrible nuclear weapons... The problem with McCain is not with him in person, as he is a moderate right winger. The problem is that he will have to be loyal to the far right and if he is elected he America will be governed for at least 4 more years by a radical right wing administration, as the president can only have so much influence, while it's the grey anonymous clerks that come with him that really determine the policy. Therefore, I really fear that with McCain's administration stem cell research will remain frozen for another 4 years (as remember - during his first round he will want to keep his voters happy to be elected again). Perhaps only in his second term he will show his true opinion on that matter. That's why we have a clear interest here, as ENS sufferers not to support him.

I have to agree with TE here. I don't think you can keep politics out of this issue.

True the hybrid issue is one to consider but not relevant to our cause. As far as the skin it actaully will gain steam since it is the only viable way to create embryonic stems cells native to your body. As far a politically i have to disagree...... ....Hillary would be a horrible choice for the country and as much as I really like Obama a releative newbie to the game during a time of war and serious economic problems he would be a mistake right now. Mccain has a long history of being very moderate to the point many right wingers hate him. I think saying that ENS'ers should not support him is a valid opinion but i serously disagree. Bill's deregulation of the FDA is what caused alot of the problems we have now as much as I dont like bush i think Mcain is well needed in office.

Well, maybe be it's not possible for us to support a candidate, as a group, because we all disagree. But surely, we can take a position on the issue, and perhaps there is something (?) we could do politically.

Jay30, Matt didn't introduce politics into this forum, he made an ethical argument which has direct relevance to our problem. For example - who knows if Bush would not have been elected in 2000 if there would not have been some breakthrough in stem cell technology which we could have benefited for ENS, by now. The bill to freeze embryonic stem cell research is one of those examples when national politics can directly effect our lives as ENS sufferers and therefore I do not see it unfit to express political views her which relate directly to our problem. Had Matt started an argument about the War in Iraq then your argument would have been correct.

Jay30, I was misinformed about McCain's stance on stem cell. You're right about political/ religious threads. In fact, after posting it I thought about deleting just for the hypocritical reasons you just pointed out (and the ethnocentric implications that accompany religion/politics). At the same time, (and TE just beat me to it) I left it because I thought this directly was in context with the spirit of the forum and this thread in particular; how fed-funded stem cell research is directly affected by the beliefs of certain political parties-which in turn is directly in context with why we are at this board in the first place. I didn't think you were looking for a fight. I'm certainly not here to start one. I already learned my lesson when posting my thoughts and beliefs surrounding the health benefits of yoga, and certainly don't want to have that happen again. Regards, Matt

Jay30, Uh, BTW, since as you said it, "The ignorance on this is maddening," perhaps you could understand some of the confusion regarding his stance, because I have heard him waffle some, and it didn't seem as lucid as you portrayed. Take the following from a pro McCain site: "It's very tough for those of us in the pro-life community," McCain told reporters. "I've prayed a lot about it, but I've come down on the side of support for embryonic stem cell research ... " or this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law. Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines." www.centralsanity.blogspot.com/2007/09/mccain-and-embryonic-stem-cells.html and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines." --I find that maddening=more government control due to one's imposed morality.

If they could use stem cells to grow turbinates back then I would be very grateful.

Yeah 007, we all would. As would millions of other people on Earth who are suffering with other maladies and devastating conditions.