Stem cell studies could end debate

By Sam Lucero
News and Information Manager

An early Christmas gift. That's one way to describe the recent groundbreaking news about stem cell research. Two separate studies, including one from UW-Madison, concluded that, by injecting four genes into human skin cells, they can be reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells.

If the research is successful, it could eliminate any need for harvesting and destroying human embryos, a practice condemned by the Catholic Church, among others.

What are stem cells? In a nutshell, they are cells found in humans and other multi-cellular organisms that possess two properties: self renewal (which allows them to pass through cycles of cell division) and potency (the ability to divide into specialized cell types). The two general types of stem cells are embryonic and adult stem cells.

According to medical researchers, stem cell therapy has the potential to radically change the treatment of life-threatening diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries. Adult stem cells are already being used in bone marrow transplants as a treatment for leukemia, and more than 60 other therapies.

What makes embryonic stem cells attractive is their ability to develop into each of the more than 200 cell types that exist in the adult body, offering a rich source for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease.

With such incredible potential, even the destruction of human embryos, which is required to harvest the stem cells, seemed to be a worthwhile price for some; not to mention cloning procedures needed for patient-specific stem cells.

Reprogramming skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells has all the potential benefits of embryonic stem cells - the ability to reproduce all human cells, and to replicate patient-specific stem cells - without the moral implications.

The human skin cell breakthrough, combined with harvesting stem cells from adults and from umbilical cord blood, clears the path for scientists to move forward with critical research that will improve, save and extend human lives. With researchers at UW-Madison leading the way in the "cellular reprogramming" field, Wisconsin maintains its prominent role in the field of stem cell research.

Because researchers and investors have sunk lots of time and money into embryonic stem cell research, don't expect this area of research to come to a screeching halt. Do expect excuses for continued destruction of human embryos.

Some bioethicists believe that embryonic stem cell research has been pursued to give abortion proponents a moral leg on which to stand. As Fr. Tadeus Pacholczyk, one of the leading bioethicists in the country, stated, "If embryo killing becomes incorporated into the way we cure illnesses and maintain our health as a society, then abortion on demand will be more likely to curry favor in our culture as well. If those trying to protect embryos carry the day, pro-abortionists fear that the same ethical arguments will prevail against abortion."

Much is at stake in the world of stem cell research. We are only beginning to see the potential.