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Research Questions1. What new opportunities do stem cells bring to research? 1. What new opportunities do stem cells bring to research? Stem cells offer unprecedented new opportunities for scientific advancement. They offer a window for exploring many of biology’s most fundamental questions. As scientists watch embryonic stem cells develop into specialized cells, for the first time they are seeing the very earliest development of the tissues and organs of the body. Stem cell research may clarify the role genes play in normal human development and following gene mutation. Stem cells can be used to track how infectious agents attack human cells, what happens to our bodies as we age and even how genetic and environmental factors influence the development of cancer and other diseases. Stem cell research may revolutionize traditional chemical medicine, because new drugs can be tested on tissues developed from stem cells. This would likely result in more advanced drugs before they ever hit the open market, making drug discovery more efficient and more cost effective. Stem cell research also offers the potential for cell therapy which means replacing diseased cells with healthy cells. Although it is very early in the evolution of stem cell research, in theory, any condition in which there is tissue degeneration could potentially be a candidate for stem cell therapies, including Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, strokes, burns, diabetes, ALS, arthritis, muscular dystrophies and liver disease. 2. Why not just use adult stem cells instead of using embryonic stem cells in research? Adult stem cells are generally limited to producing the cells that are present in the tissue of origin. For example, blood-forming stem cells are able to make blood and immune system cells, but not cells of other tissues. Scientists in Michigan are studying adult stem cells, and this research is yielding important discoveries. However, embryonic stem cells have unique and important features that adult stem cells do not have. Embryonic stem cells can divide indefinitely, while adult stem cells are typically limited in their ability to divide. Embryonic stem cells can make any cell type in the body, while adult stem cells are limited in the types of cells they can produce. Whether we are trying to generate cells that will be used therapeutically, or cells that will be used to screen for new drugs, the ability to make indefinite quantities of any cell type in the body is potentially very important. The overwhelming majority of stem cell researchers believe that, to make the most rapid progress against disease, research should proceed using embryonic, adult and iPS stem cells. 3. What do supporters of embryonic stem cell research say to those who believe that life begins at conception, and therefore anything that interferes with the development of an embryo from that point forward is morally wrong? According to the Catholic Church, harvesting embryonic stem cells kills the living human embryo. The Church and others oppose the direct destruction of what they deem innocent human life for any purpose, including research [Source: Michigan Catholic Conference Focus, February 2005]. The values of people who hold this view should be respected. However, these embryos are not legally regarded as human beings and fertility clinics routinely discard large numbers of embryos which cannot be used for fertility treatment. As a result, laws that restrict the use of human embryos in medical research do not prevent these embryos from being destroyed or discarded, they only delay medical research. Many people believe that since the decision has already been made to discard these embryos, that it does not make sense to deny their use in medical research that has the potential to help thousands of patients. Many religious traditions consider it immoral not to pursue human embryonic stem cell research because it is immoral not to pursue potentially life-saving treatments. Polls show a large majority of Americans believe that it is ethical to use IVF embryos for the derivation of embryonic stem cell lines and that this type of medical research should be supported. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences has studied this issue and found that “there is widespread agreement in the international scientific community about the potential value of hES cell research” and they have recommended specific guidelines by which human embryonic stem cells can be derived ethically [Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, the National Academies Press, www.nap.edu]. These guidelines have been broadly adopted by universities across the United States. The National Institutes of Health developed Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research. The guidelines, implemented on July 7, 2009, “establish policy and procedures under which NIH will fund research in this area, and to help ensure that NIH-funded research in this area is ethically responsible, scientifically worthy and conducted in accordance with applicable law.” (http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines.htm) In vitro fertilization also was controversial when it first emerged more than 30 years ago. There remain some people who are morally opposed to it, but many more consider IVF a “pro-life” practice because it allows people to conceive children who otherwise wouldn't have been able to. For similar reasons, many in the pro-life community also consider embryonic stem cell research to be a pro-life practice. Several prominent conservative Republicans argue it is possible to be both “pro-life” and “pro-stem cell.” “Stem cell research facilitates life,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), who studied the issue for two years before deciding to aggressively lobby the Bush administration. “Abortion destroys life; this is about saving lives.” “The most pro-life position would be to help people who suffer from these maladies,” Hatch said. “That is far more ethical than just abandoning or discarding these embryonic stem cells.” For politicians such as Hatch, a Mormon, the decision to break with many allies in the antiabortion community was closely tied to the enormous medical potential of embryonic stem cells to treat a wide range of debilitating conditions. Hatch is hardly alone in his support. 4. What kinds of diseases and injuries do researchers think stem cell research will help treat or cure? There are many ways in which human stem cells can be used in research and the clinic. Blood stem cells are currently most frequently used for bone marrow transplants, as well as for treatments for leukemia and other blood disorders. Many more stem cell based therapies are in the early stages of research. For example, studies of how undifferentiated stem cells become the differentiated cells that form the tissues and organs will likely help us solve many problems. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal cell division and differentiation. A more complete understanding of the genetic and molecular controls of these processes may yield information about how such diseases arise and suggest new strategies for therapy. Human stem cells could also be used to test new drugs. For example, new medications could be tested for safety on cells from differentiated embryonic stem cells. Perhaps the most important potential application of human stem cells is the cells and tissues that could be used for cell-based therapies. Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace damaged or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. For example, it has been estimated that pancreatic beta cells from nine cadavers are required to treat a single diabetic patient. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, among others. For example, it may become possible to generate healthy heart muscle cells in the laboratory and then transplant those cells into patients with chronic heart disease. New studies indicate it may be possible to direct stem cells to form insulin-producing cells that eventually could be used in transplantation therapy for people with diabetes. Stem cells offer exciting promise for the future, but significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research. 5. When will new cures and treatments be available? Biomedical research typically has a time frame of 10, 20, even 30 years. Fourteen years elapsed between the first unsuccessful clinical trial of bone marrow transplantation and the first successful transplant among unrelated patients. Now bone marrow transplants are widely touted as the best example of a successful stem cell therapy. Even after the research on a treatment has moved from basic laboratory research to developing medical applications, it takes many years to thoroughly test those applications and prove they are safe for patients. This is not just true of stem cell based therapies, but of all new drugs, procedures and medical equipment. Stem cell transplants, like all new therapies, are controlled by the FDA. The only thing that is certain is the sooner the research begins, the sooner new cures and treatments will become available. If research were stopped by uncertainty, we never would have developed blood transfusions, cardiac bypass surgery, insulin therapy for diabetes, kidney dialysis, antibiotics, vaccines, organ transplants and many other treatments we now take for granted. |
Basic Questions
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Copyright © 2006, 2009 Michigan Citizens For Stem Cell Research & Cures