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EDITORIAL: Stem Cell Progress

By The Hartford Courant, Conn.
Posted on: Sunday, 14 January 2007, 12:00 CST
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/...urce=r_health#

Jan. 14--Despite President Bush's threat to veto a bill passed Thursday in the House, the Democratic-controlled Congress should not waiver from its intent to expand federal support of embryonic stem cell research. The more types of human stem cells available for study, the more will be learned about diseases and how to cure them.

Conservatives who oppose embryonic stem cell research because it requires the destruction of embryos may see those important studies as unnecessary in light of a breakthrough by scientists at Wake Forest University's Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The scientists discovered that stem cells derived from the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus in pregnant women can, like the more controversial embryonic type, generate a range of human cell types, including liver, blood, fat, bone and muscle cells. The hope is that these can be used to form replacement tissue to treat or cure disease. What's more, the amniotic stem cells are shed by the fetus harmlessly and can be collected through amniocentesis, which is often performed during the second trimester of pregnancy.

The best part of this discovery is that the amniotic stem cells are a genetic match to the individual, providing potential material to cure birth defects or to create a personal tissue bank for later use if the need arises.

This is wonderful news that adds to the body of knowledge that may one day lead to cures for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. The cells appear to have many advantages. They grow as fast as embryonic stem cells, are easier to grow, and appear more stable without forming tumors.

However, embryonic stem cells are important because of that property. Their propensity to behave like cancer cells has scientific value because it provides opportunities to learn how cancer works. That could lead to discoveries that the study of other types of stem cells, adult or fetal, cannot.

Embryonic stem cells provide a window into the earliest stages of human development. Congress should persist in trying to modify the current Bush administration policy, which limits federal support of embryonic stem cell research to cell lines that existed in 2001. There are not enough of these lines and some are contaminated.

The bill passed by the House on Thursday to make more available from unused embryos stored in fertility clinics, embryos that would otherwise be discarded, may not be veto-proof. But it makes lifesaving sense and would surely speed up the quest for cures.