Opinion: Big News: Stem cell research could soon be a non-issue!
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It’s almost too good to be true, particularly in light of the whole Hwang Woo Suk scandal a couple years back.
But in two separate studies, one from the University of Wisconsin and another from Kyoto, scientists found that skin cells can be manipulated to become pluripotent — the same quality that currently makes embryonic stem cells a hot commodity.
That’s not to say the current methods are without risk:
... both sets of scientists admit that the retroviruses employed to insert genes into the human skin cells could cause tumours. They claim that research must continue to develop methods of reprogramming cells by simply ‘switching on’ genes.
Obviously, it’s not a good idea to count your cells before they’re reprogrammed. But if this technology bears fruit, it would effectively end the battle between advocates and opponents of embryonic stem cell research. Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, certainly sees this as a moral victory.
There are medical advantages over embryonic stem cells, too: Using patients’ own cells in treatment would eliminate the risk of rejection.
Richard Murphy, interim president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, praised the findings (while also covering his bases, given that state voters have already committed to up to $3 billion in funding through Proposition 71):
Richard Murphy ... added that ‘these are very exciting new directions for stem-cell research.’ Since voters created it in 2004, the institute’s focus has been on human embryonic stem cell studies, because President Bush had restricted federal financing for that kind of research. But now that scientists can give skin cells properties similar to human embryonic stem cells, ‘we think that we need to have parallel tracks,’ with some studies on embryonic stem cells and others on reprogramming, Murphy said. The institute already has given a few grants to scientists attempting to reprogram cells and Murphy said it intends to seek applications for more in the spring.
Jim Geraghty from the National Review Online does have one suggestion for people who might be somewhat peeved at this otherwise happy discovery:
Today’s breakthrough is a big reason to celebrate...unless you saw fetal stem cell research as a useful wedge issue in 2008.
Can’t say I’m too broken up about that.