This week, Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, told reporters that the majority of Senators favor the reduction of government restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. Hatch was one of 58 Senators who signed a letter asking President Bush to increase federal funding for embryonic research. Restrictions have been in place since August of 2001, when President Bush issued an executive order limiting federal funding for stem cell research to the 78 embryonic stem cell lines then in existence.
Many political conservatives and pro-life advocates believe harvesting stem cells from embryos is a form of abortion. Supporters for embryonic stem cell research, such as the former First Lady Nancy Reagan, hope it will lead to cures for illnesses such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Ronald Reagan's death (after a ten-year struggle with Alzheimer's) has reopened the debate over the use of embryonic stem cells. However Reagan himself was a very ardent supporter of the "right to life," and would not have approved of embryonic research.
Stem cells have the remarkable ability to develop into many different kinds of cells and appear to be able to multiply and divide indefinitely. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. Embryonic stem cells used in research most often come from embryos (fertilized human eggs) left over after in-vitro fertilization procedures. Stem cells are removed from the embryo, cultured in a laboratory, and grown into "lines" or colonies. By adding and removing certain proteins, scientists can coax the cells to develop into various specialized cells. However, in the process of harvesting stem cells, a human embryo is destroyed.
Many scientists believe that embryonic stem cell research will result in the development of miracle cures for some of our most devastating diseases, but embryonic stem cell therapies are still far from a reality. In laboratory research using rodents, the embryonic stem cells have either caused tumors or were rejected by the receiving tissue. The rapid multiplication of embryonic stem cells is also difficult to control. It may take years of research before embryonic stems cells can even be used to effectively treat disease.
However, embryos are not the only source of stem cells. Stem cells are also found in many kinds of adult tissue, and treating diseases with adult stem cells may prove both a more moral as well as a more practical alternative to using embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell and related tissue therapies are already being used to treat diseases like leukemia. Experiments are currently underway to treat conditions such as heart disease, multiple sclerosis, corneal injury, spinal injury, and Parkinson's disease using stem cells from adult tissue. Scientists have even been able to use adult stem cells to treat patients paralyzed by spinal cord injuries. There is less risk involved, and the use of adult stem cells does not require the destruction of human embryos.
According to the National Institute of Health:
'Adult stem cells typically generate the cell types of the tissue in which they reside. A blood-forming adult stem cell in the bone marrow, for example, normally gives rise to the many types of blood cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Until recently, it had been thought that a blood-forming cell in the bone marrow - which is called a hematopoietic stem cell - could not give rise to the cells of a very different tissue, such as nerve cells in the brain. However, a number of experiments over the last several years have raised the possibility that stem cells from one tissue may be able to give rise to cell types of a completely different tissue, a phenomenon known as plasticity. Examples of such plasticity include blood cells becoming neurons, liver cells that can be made to produce insulin, and hematopoietic stem cells that can develop into heart muscle. Therefore, exploring the possibility of using adult stem cells for cell-based therapies has become a very active area of investigation by researchers.'
While the Senate seeks to chase after controversial and dangerous embryonic stem cell research, adult stem cell therapy may prove to be more cost effective, less risky, and more immediate in terms of treating disease.
