Messages In This Digest (6 Messages)
- 1.
- For Christmas Joy, a Cure? From: Stephen Meyer
- 2.
- UC Irvine finds new way to sort stemcells!! From: Stephen Meyer
- 3.
- # 400 Friday, December 21, 2007 - RUNNING IN THE RAIN From: Stephen Meyer
- 4.
- # 399 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - NEW STEM CELLS: IP for Induced Pl From: Stephen Meyer
- 5.
- # 398 Friday, December 14, 2007 - THE POLITICS BEHIND THE NEW STEM C From: Stephen Meyer
- 6.
- New method may address ethical issues From: Stephen Meyer
Messages
- 1.
-
For Christmas Joy, a Cure?
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:07 pm (PST)
For Christmas Joy, a Cure?
New York Times
Scientists Weigh Stem Cells' Role as Cancer Cause
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/ >12/21/science/ 21stem.html? ref=opinion
(December 21, 2007)
Re "Scientists Weigh Stem Cells' Role as Cancer Cause"
(front page, Dec. 21):
As someone who supports full stem cell research — adult, embryonic,
nuclear transfer and the new skin cell reprogramming — I read your
article with an almost-holiday emotion, a sense of mounting joy.
So close to Christmas, and if we can find the cause of cancer, maybe a
cure is on the way.
Like most American families, mine is no stranger to cancer. My mother
died at age 52 of breast cancer, my older sister died from leukemia at
23, and my younger sister is alive today, possibly because of adult stem
cells given to her at the City of Hope National Medical Center in
Southern California.
My brother's blood type was a match for hers, and some of his stem
cells now reside in her.
A permanent cure? No. But a step in the right direction.
We don't know what the future holds for stem cell research, which of
the varied forms of its derivation will be most useful, or which
combination all deserve investigation.
May the New Year bring us closer to the day when cancer will be no more
than a temporary inconvenience.
Don C. Reed
Fremont, Calif., Dec. 21, 2007
- 2.
-
UC Irvine finds new way to sort stemcells!!
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:12 pm (PST)
Method could speed the production of future stem cell therapies
Irvine, Calif., December 20, 2007
UC Irvine scientists have found a new way to sort stem cells that
should be quicker, easier and more cost-effective than current
methods. The technique could in the future expedite therapies for
people with conditions ranging from brain and spinal cord damage to
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The method uses electrodes on a tiny, inch-long glass slide to sort
cells by their electric charges and has been used in cancer
research. The stem cell field suffers from a lack of tools for
identifying and sorting cells. This important discovery could add a
new tool to current sorting methods, which generally require
expensive, bulky equipment.
"For therapeutic purposes, we want stem cells to turn into specific
cell types once they have been transplanted. The trick to doing this
is identifying beforehand which cells will become the desired cell
type, such as a neuron," said Lisa Flanagan, lead author of the
study and a stem cell biologist at UCI. "We have discovered a new,
potentially better way to do this by focusing on the electric
properties of the cells."
This study appears online Dec. 20 in the journal Stem Cells.
The technique used by the scientists, called dielectrophoresis, is
based on the premise that different types of cells have different
electric properties. Stem cells that are destined to become neurons,
for example, have a different electric charge than stem cells that
will become astrocytes, another type of brain cell. The scientists
discovered that the cells react differently when electric fields are
applied. At one frequency, a neuron will be attracted to an
electrode but an astrocyte will not, and at a different frequency,
an astrocyte will be attracted but a neuron will not.
Identifying and sorting stem cells is important when creating stem
cell-based therapies. Without a purification process, stem cell
transplantations can cause tumors or be rejected by the body's
immune system.
In this study, the scientists wanted to identify and collect stem
cells that were destined to become neurons, which are cells in the
brain and spinal cord that process and transmit information. Neurons
that die as a result of injury or disease do not regenerate, which
is why people with neuronal loss suffer problems such as paralysis
and memory loss. Scientists believe that stem cell transplantations
might be able to restore part of the lost function.
With the goal of identifying future neurons, UCI engineers built a
tiny device using a glass slide to perform the dielectrophoresis.
First, scientists place unsorted mouse stem cells on one side of the
device. The cells then float in sugar water through a tiny channel
past electrodes set to a particular frequency. At a certain
frequency, stem cells destined to become neurons will stick to the
electrodes while other cells pass by. The cells that stick then can
be removed and grouped together, potentially for use in a therapy.
Currently, stem cells most often are separated using a machine
called a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). FACS machines,
which use lasers to detect the light scattering and fluorescent
characteristics of the cells, can weigh hundreds of pounds and cost
$500,000 or more. The UCI-designed dielectrophoresis device is just
a fraction of the size and cost. The two devices could be used to
complement each other to create ultra pure stem cell populations.
"Once the mold is created, these sorts of devices can cost just
pennies to make," said Ed Monuki, senior author and UCI
developmental biologist. "You could have many for every member of
your lab and it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive."
A strong collaborative partnership between UCI biologists and
engineers made this discovery possible. With input from biologists,
engineers built the device in UCI's Integrated Nanosystems Research
Facility. "This represents truly an interdisciplinary effort that
expands the horizon in both biology and engineering fields," said
Abraham Lee, a study co-author affiliated with the Department of
Biomedical Engineering in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at
UCI.
The biologists are affiliated with the UCI Department of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine, the Department of Developmental and Cell
Biology, and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. A hub
for stem cell research in Southern California, UCI is raising money
for a new building that will house its stem cell researchers, the
core laboratory, training facilities and research space. UCI is
applying to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a
facilities grant to build the structure.
Jente Lu, Lisen Wang, Steve Marchenko and Noo Li Jeon of UCI also
worked on this study, which was supported by the Roman Reed Spinal
Cord Injury Research Fund of California.
- 3.
-
# 400 Friday, December 21, 2007 - RUNNING IN THE RAIN
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:22 pm (PST)
# 400 Friday, December 21, 2007
<file:///C:/My%20Webs/myweb11/ ’S%20FUTURE\Archive%20322% 20Monday, %20April% 2020,%2020\
07%20-%20FLORIDA%20ONCE%20MORE% 20PIVOTAL% 20TO%20NATION
.htm> - RUNNING IN THE RAIN
I heard the rain begin, just before I picked up my sword.
It was almost 5:30 AM, and if I did the sensible thing and skipped the
exercise, the alleged "run", the opportunity would be gone forever. The
numbers I had seen on the bathroom scale made it plain I could not
afford to miss the opportunity.
Go on, go on, get moving, I tried to push myself.
But it was raining, whined the excuse-making part of my brain.
Of course, when I used to be a professional scuba diver, I was wet all
day long, so that particular excuse did not work. But surely there were
others?
Just do it, don't think about it.
A coal miner was once asked how he could put up with his genuinely
miserable life, knowing that every day he must walk down into the
darkness, beneath the surface of the world, living in the chill darkness
six days a week, like a mole, never to see the sun.
"Put one foot in front of the other", said the miner.
Put one foot in front of the other. That is the secret to doing the
impossible.
This year's stem cell battles will be epic: all the forces of
anti-science ideology will be lined up against the research, as will
those who do their bidding in the Congress and the Senate, and the White
House. They will not give up their power casually.
I dreaded the struggle ahead. So many state efforts to fight for, or
against; not to mention the political efforts, the candidates for, the
candidates against, and the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, the
battle for funding for the National Institutes of Health, and, on and
on, so many the mind blanks out and cannot handle it, and turns to
pleasure instead, like playing with swords that can't hurt anyone.
I have three swords: a collapsible one for travel, a beautiful all metal
practice sword with a blade thin as tissue paper, and also one that
cannot rust, being made out of Chinese oak.
The wooden one was obviously the best for practice in the rain, but
somehow I found myself trotting down the road carrying my favorite,
slender, delicate, still in its wood-lined sheath.
Leaves were dark and sodden, making no crunching sounds underfoot. The
houses were spots of light on the black street, and then I left the
asphalt.
Past the row of trees and a home-made play swing is a raised path,
beside the channel. The path runs twelve miles one way, but I never use
that much room. Don't want to wear it out, you know, save some for other
runners.
The rain sluiced down harder.
But I put my hood up.
Shuffle, shuffle, little steps, and every so often, a pause to practice
the sword.
I am learning a new sword set now, the Yang style, 32 steps. It will
take me a year, probably, before I can remember it all, let alone begin
to do it well.
Yang is delicate, subtle, like ballet with weapons, not like the Chen,
my favorite, which is more like chopping trees. Chen style is vigorous,
violent, big muscle-group stuff, lean down on your right hip with sword
overhead, like that; Yang is wrist flexion, balance, changes of
direction, stuff that is more difficult for me.
So I do three sets of the new style, (as far as I can remember, which
isn't very far) and three sets of the old Chen style, which at least I
know all the way through, and can end up facing in the right direction.
Learning sword is like studying stem cells with Google alerts, the ones
that send you information on whatever subject. The subject is vast and
varied, impossible to keep up with, but if I read a couple dozen emails
on the subject every day, I can maybe understand at least the main
outlines of what's new.
Of course, it helps to have friends like Diane Wyshack, who sends me
stem cell information from all around the world.
Lately it is all about the new iPS reprogramming style, which seems
valuable, but is being hugely hyped by the opposition, as a way to shut
down embryonic and nuclear transfer research. We need all the best
research to go forward, not just one variety.
The rain struck harder, droplets flung like bullets thudthudthuddding on
the path.
Pick up the pace, get the blood moving, onward, into the storm.
"Storm? This ain't no storm, this just a little bit of weather," said a
gruff-voiced fragment of my past.
I remembered being on a small boat in Louisiana, a crew boat heading out
to the oil rigs during what seemed to me a veritable hurricane, blasting
winds, torrential downpour, and Morris, the pilot, calmly seated at the
wheel, smoking, steering us out of the sheltering harbor, into the
terrifying open sea.
The crew boat slithered among the gigantic waves, tsunamis, at least,
every one of them, lifting and thumping our tiny wooden vessel, so we
shuddered and shook.
I was sooooo seasick, and those vile cigars Morris smoked did not help.
The ash of the cigar grew longer, it needed to be finger-tapped over an
ashtray.
But the boat tilted, and the ash tray (a sand-filled canvas bag with an
embedded dish) scooted along the counter, sliding away from Morris.
The waves crashed, the winds shrieked, the rain went sideways in the
night, and the ash grew longer on his cigar.
But Morris just waited, calm at the wheel. Presently the boat tilted
back the other way, as he knew it would, and the ashtray slid and
returned. He tapped his cigar, the ash fell appropriately.
Having lived in the chaos before, Morris knew what was to come.
He accepted the storm.
I took out my beautiful shining sword, and began to swoosh it back and
forth, figure-eight-ing in the rain, as I ran. I saw this done in a
movie once, called BEASTMASTER, and the hero, Marc Singer, a muscular
sort who hung out with animals (hence the name) used to exercise by
running full speed ahead, the sword arc-ing back and forth around him,
it was so cool.
I couldn't do it fast, but I could do it slow, and I liked doing that.
Some folks might have felt a little silly, hacking at raindrops, but I
have never felt embarrassed when aloneâ€"this was joy.
The rain flooded down like a shower without needing to turning on a
faucet. My clothes were soaked, but that was okay, they were headed for
the laundry, and so was I.
A few days ago, I saw Bob Klein at a meeting of the California stem cell
program.
In a hallway outside the auditorium, the chairman of the ICOC held a
cell phone to his ear. He said something I couldn't hear, smiled,
nodded, collapsed the phone.
There was one split second of time when nobody was tugging at his
sleeve.
Well, except me. And suddenly I blurted it out, what I had been brooding
on.
"Going to be a rough year, next year," I said.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Probably the most difficult of our lives," I added, "They're going to
come at us with everything they've got."
I realized I was not making a lot of sense. What I meant was the
opposition to stem cell research, the powerful minority, those who
wanted to block the research, and--
"Yes", said Bob Klein. He nodded. And then he grinned.
As one does, when accepting a storm.
Don Reed
www.stemcellbattles.com <http://www.stemcell battles.com/ >
Don C. Reed is co-chair (with Karen Miner) of Californians for Cures,
and writes for their web blog, www.stemcellbattles.com
<http://www.stemcellbattles.com/ > . Reed was citizen-sponsor for
California’s Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999,
named after his paralyzed son; he worked as a grassroots advocate for
California’s Senator Deborah Ortiz’s three stem cell
regulatory laws, served as an executive board member for Proposition 71,
the California Stem Cells for Research and Cures Act, and is director of
policy outreach for Americans for Cures. The retired schoolteacher is
the author of five books and thirty magazine articles, and has received
the National Press Award.
- 4.
-
# 399 Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - NEW STEM CELLS: IP for Induced Pl
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:37 pm (PST)
# 399 Tuesday, December 18, 2007
<file:///C:/My%20Webs/myweb11/ ’S%20FUTURE\Archive%20322% 20Monday, %20April% 2020,%2020\
07%20-%20FLORIDA%20ONCE%20MORE% 20PIVOTAL% 20TO%20NATION
.htm> - NEW STEM CELLS: IP for Induced Pluripotent (iP), and Intensely
Political?
Using viruses and genes, scientists Shinya Yamanaka, Junying Yu, and
Jamie Thomson recently reprogrammed skin cells into embryonic-like stem
cells.
The new method, Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cell research, may turn
out to be hugely important, or not, or something in the middle. Not
only the scientific world, but also millions of sufferers of chronic
disease are eager to know its real value, as the new technique begins
the long months and years of necessary testing, scrutiny and research.
Unfortunately, ideological groups are attempting to use the new method
as an excuse to shut down embryonic stem research, while crediting its
known opponents.
Chief among the latter is President George Bush, who twice vetoed the
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, and who supported jail sentences and
million dollar fines for scientists involved with nuclear transfer, an
advanced form of stem cell research.
Suddenly, Mr. Bush was being heaped with praise by conservatives,
crediting for having somehow inspired the new research. Typical was the
Discovery Institute's Wesley Smith:
"So thank you for your courageous leadership, Mr. President. `
we now have the very real potential of developing thriving and robust
stem-cell medicine' that will bridge, rather than exacerbate, our
moral differences over the importance and meaning of human life.",
National Review, "Bush Bears Fruit", 11/20/2007
The Catholic Conference of Bishops has called upon the state of New York
to transfer all its embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) funding to the
new method. Several states are now considering legislation which would
essentially ban ESCR, alleging that it has now been proven
unnecessary' .
Are they right? The following is a brief (10 pages) compendium of quotes
from expert witnesses.
"STANDING IN THE WAY OF STEM CELL RESEARCH' ."
"We are disappointed that what should be used as a hopeful step
forward for the over 100 million patients with incurable diseases and
conditions is being used as a political tool to obstruct progress.
(emphasis added) ` it is short-sighted and misleading to claim that
(the) work obviates the need for further research. ' these
discoveries provide the most compelling reason to date for the overturn
of the Presidential veto and enactment of the widely supported Stem Cell
Research Act' we don't really know what all the capabilities of
embryonic stem cells are yet, so saying reprogrammed cells have those
capabilities is premature."
--Alan I. Leshner, chief executive, American Association for Advancement
of Science, and James A. Thomson, pioneering stem cell researcher.
Washington Post, Dec. 8, 2007
WAS GEORGE BUSH RIGHT?
(An article claimed that) "George Bush was right, that we have now
found a way to create `a magical stem cell that can become bone or
brain or heart or liver' without using human embryos.
"It is not true. (emphasis added) It is not even close to true.
"The greatest loss of all would be if these exciting new discoveries
were allowed to create the false belief that research opposed by the
Bush administration, research involving ` embryonic stem
cells'from frozen embryos that would otherwise have been discarded,
was no longer necessary'
"The only voices saying that these new discoveries have made the
debate over stem cell research moot are the voices that were opposed to
(the) research all along."
--Susan L. Solomon, CEO, New York Stem Cell Foundation, and Zach W.
Hall, former President, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine,
Huffington Post, 11/30/07
POLITICAL "CREDIT" FOR OPPONENTS OF RESEARCH?
"I really don't think anybody ought to take credit in light of
the six-year delay (emphasis added) we've had' My own view is
that science ought to be unfettered and that every possible alternative
ought to be explored.' if we can find something which is certifiably
equivalent to embryonic stem cells, fine. But we are not there
yet."---
Senator Arlen Specter, (R-PA) NY Times, 11/21/07
BUSH POLICY DELAYS STEM CELL ADVANCE?
"My feeling is that the political controversy set the field back
about four or five years." (Bush's funding limits)
"represented very bad public policy as far as I'm concerned. The
field has been much slower taking off than it would have been
otherwise."
--Dr. James Thomson, generally considered the founder of embryonic stem
cell research, and a co-author of the iP stem cell procedure. Chicago
Tribune, November 21, 2007
PLAYING POLITICS WITH STEM CELL RESEARCH?
"` Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President
Bush, are already arguing that the skin cell advance should end the use
of stem cells derived from human embryos. That would be shortsighted...
Scientists are years away from knowing if human skin cells will actually
work as a substitute.
"President Bush's stem cell strategy is to deny federal funding
for research because it destroys human embryos. But his moral objection
doesn't apply to hundreds of thousands of human embryos discarded
every year in the name of in vitro fertilization.
"` the President and others (have been) playing politics with stem
cell research'
, editorial, San Jose Mercury News, 11/27/2007
NO MORE EMBRYONIC? ASK SCIENTIST WHO DID THE EXPERIMENT
One of two principle investigators of the new method, Shinya Yamanaka of
Japan, said:
"New Advances in IPS cell research do not obviate the need for
Human Embryonic Stem Cells ` it would be a serious mistake to
conclude that recent developments in IPS cell research' avert the
need for ongoing research on hES (human embryonic stem) cells. Research
on IPS cells has barely begun'
"` tumorigenicity (cancer-causing properties--dr) and safety are
major concerns'
"..we hold that research into all avenues of human stem cell
research must proceed together. Society deserves to have the full
commitment of scientific inquiry at its service.
"...inspiration for IPS cell research came from an earlier stem cell
study... with hES cells.
' the recent advancements in IPS cell research would not be
possible if not it were not for' years of dedicated hES cell
research that preceded them. We cannot support that notion that IPS cell
research can advance without hES research."
--Chicago Tribune, November 21, 2007
IS THE NEW RESEARCH ALL WE NEED?
"Dr. Yamanaka's work' further emphasizes the critical need
we have to continue working with naturally occurring human embryonic
stem cells, which remain the gold standard (emphasis added) against
which all alternative sources of human pluripotent stem cells must be
tested' ."
--Dr. Richard Murphy, interim President of the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
AND FROM THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS?
"` Choosing to focus on only one avenue of research or type of cell
source, would' be irresponsible, unreasonable, and premature.
(emphasis added)
"Promising and successful research exploring human stem cells should
be supplemented with, not supplanted by, new and potentially exciting
approaches, with all forms of research moving forward along multiple
independent paths'
"` no one knows what important discoveries would be missed if we
were to' `place all of our eggs in one new basket,'
especially if that decision were largely driven by emotional and
political expediency."
, William Brinkley, dean of Graduate School of Biomedical Science at
Baylor College of Medicine: Houston Chronicle, 11/24/07
HOW ABOUT MICHIGAN?
"Restricting research' and pushing researchers toward'
techniques not fully understood only serves to delay the considerable
medical benefits that could lead to cures to some of the most
debilitating diseases of our time. With cancer alone killing half a
million Americans every year' we don't have time to drag our
feet.
--The Michigan Daily, 11/27/07
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"?
"It would be foolish to declare "Mission Accomplished" at
this point. We just don't know yet whether or not
"embryo-like" cells are as good as the real thing. Let us hope
that scientists are allowed to find out."
--Rayilyn Brown, Board Member, Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's
Foundation
HEAD OF NIH STEM CELL TASK FORCE WEIGHS IN
"` the head of the National Institutes of Health stem cell task
force said it would be a mistake for scientists to back away from
research on embryonic cells. (emphasis added) Dr. Story Landis said the
breakthrough with mature cells was possible in part because of earlier
work with embryonic cells.
"This does not obviate the need for human embryonic stem cell
research", Landis said.
To be able to compare results from the two types of research "is
critical", she added.
--Los Angeles Times, Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar, November 21, 2007
SCIENTISTS "CAN GET JOBS AT MCDONALDS"--??
"Every time we get a headline like this, some policy makers say,
"OK, now we can stop funding embryonic research, and you guys can
get jobs at McDonalds," said Dr. Evan Snyder, director of the stem
cell research center at the Burnham Institute in California,
(adding that)' the genes used to produce (the embryonic-like) cells
were discovered through working with natural embryonic stem cells'
"What we find is that each (form of research, dr) informs the
other," Snyder said.
"` they need to be tested head-to-head in the exact same animal
model to see which is most useful in a particular disease' You may
need one type of cell for one disease, and another type of cell for
another disease.
"Snyder said Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research
actually retarded the breakthrough' perhaps by five years."
--Chicago Tribune, 21 November, 2007, also excerpt from Bradley Fikes
North County Times, 11-22-07
WEISSMAN OF STANFORD
"Because we cannot decide in advance which method will get us there
first, and because the lives of these patients must be paramount, we
should not gamble their lives on one' method."
--Irv Weissman is Director of Stanford's Institute for Cancer/Stem
Cell Biology and Medicine, quoted in USA Today, 11/25/07
"A SERIES OF BIG IFS' "
"The bright future (of iPS cells) depends on a series of big ifs.
"First of all, the function of the reprogrammed cells will have to
be compared closely with the function of actual embryonic stem cells.
"I'd be surprised if these cells do all the same tricks as stem
cells derived from embryos.
"Also, in both experiments, the for-gene recipe was added to the
skin cells using a virus as a delivery package. The FDA (Food and Drug
Administration) would never allow us to use these virus-identified cells
in patients.
"Bottom line: there are very serious hurdles left to overcome. It
could still take years to get this to work in humans in a way that could
be used clinically."
--Robert Lanza, Advanced Cell Technology, MSNBC.com, 11/20/07, and USA
Today, 11/25/07
PARKINSON'S ADVOCATE MICHAEL J. FOX ON THE NEW RESEARCH
Michael J. Fox said Friday he's excited by recent news that'
skin cells have been reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells, but
lamented the energy and resources being put into this and other
alternative approaches.
"The irony is that every big development in this area in the past
few years has involved efforts to mimic embryonic stem cells,"'
With research that had gone into recreating what everyone agrees is the
gold standard, who's to say how close we might be to new treatment
now if we had been pressing forward with (embryonic) stem cells the
whole time' "
NEW CAMR PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT
"Amy Comstock Rick, chief executive of the Parkinson's Action
Network, (and incoming President of the Coalition for the Advancement of
Medical Research, dr)said research on embryonic stem cells was much more
advanced. "Unless something has been shown to fail, it should not be
taken off the table, and embryonic stem cell research has shown great
promise.", Los Angeles Times, November 21, 2007
ONE THOUSAND DIFFERENCES'
"` although they closely resemble embryonic stem cells, there are
some differences, over a thousand of them, in fact, according to
microarray analysis. ` 1,267 genes showed a greater than 5-fold
difference in expression between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells'
", Synapse, Hadley Leggett, 12/06/07 (UCSF, site of Dr.
Yamanaka's laboratory)
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF STEM CELL RESEARCH POINTS TO CANCER RISK, NEED
FOR MORE RESEARCH ON OTHER TECHNIQUES
"The process uses retroviruses to insert genes into somatic cells,
and in some cases genes that can cause cancer. Furthermore, the use of
viruses to transport the reprogramming genes into the adult human cells
causes mutations that predisposes these cells to cancer'
"It is premature to suggest that this approach can replace the
derivation of embryonic stem cells from embryos or by nuclear transfer.
We believe that research on human embryonic stem cells, somatic cell
nuclear transfer and "adult" or tissue-specific stem cells needs
to continue in parallel. All are part of a research effort that seeks to
expand our knowledge of how cells function, what fails in the disease
process, and how the first stages of human development occur. It is
this general knowledge that will ultimately generate safe and effective
therapies.
--ISSCR Statement on New Advances in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell
Research,
Dr. I. Hyun, Chair of the ISSCR Ethics and Public Policy
NEW YORK STEM CELL FOUNDATION SEES OBJECTIONS
"` the research uses known cancer-causing genes to reprogram cells
and return them to an embryonic-like state," said Dr. Kevin Eggan,
NYSCF Scientific Director, "The retroviruses used to introduce these
additional genes often turn on cancer genes that are already present.
"It remains to be determined whether reprogramming can be achieved
without using cancer-causing genes.
"We must also be certain that the resulting pluripotent stem cells
are entirely equivalent to embryonic stem cells," said Dr. Eggan.
--NYSCF, November 20, 2007
`WOULDN'T BE SUITABLE FOR MEDICAL THERAPIES"'
"The new technique wouldn't be suitable for medical therapies
because it uses viruses to inject genes into the cells' DNA. Such
viruses insert the genes at random locations, sometimes causing
mutations' "
, Science news Online, Nov. 24, 2007
KENNEDY'S VIEW
"Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) hailed the new reports as
"extraordinary scientific breakthroughs", but said embryonic
stem cell research must continue. "Instead of aiding that fight, the
Bush administration is hampering it through needless restrictions on
stem cell research and by denying NIH the funds it needs to capitalize
on new advances."
, Washington Post, November 21, 2007
ENGLAND: CAUTION REQUIRED
"Experts stressed more safety work was needed' (citing)
potential to cause dangerous side effects' . Retroviruses, (used to)
insert therapeutic genes into the DNA of these cells' have the
ability to make random changes to DNA elsewhere in the body, which could
lead to complications, such as cancer.
(note: in one experiment, roughly 20% of the lab mice died of cancer,
dr)
"Retroviruses can disrupt genes that should not be disrupted or
activate genes that should not be activated", Professor Azim Surani
of University of Cambridge said: "in addition to safety concerns, we
have to be cautious about extrapolating from mosue studies to humans.
The mouse iPS cells are not identical to human iPS cells. We need more
research."
, BBC, MMVII, 12/07/07
HOCHEDLINGER AND HARVARD
"We know little about how to direct an embryonic-like stem cell
into' the tissues they need, such as a pancreas cell instead of a
nerve cell."
--Konrad Hochedlinger, Ph.D, assistant Professor, Harvard Stem Cell
Institute
DOESN'T SHOW WHICH IS BETTER
"The latest research doesn't show which is better, so it would
be foolish to abandon SCNT-derived embryonic stem cells," says Robin
Lovell-Badge, of he National Institute for Medical Research in London.
--New Scientist.com news service, 12/06/07
"` ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAD EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS TO WORK
WITH' "
"(Dr. Rudy) Jaenisch said the success with iPS cells does not mean
that research on human embryonic stem cells should be dropped, as some
opponents of the work have asserted.
"All the progress in this field was only possible because we had
embryonic stem cells to work with' ," Jaenisch said, "We
need to make more embryonic cells and really define which are going to
be the best ones for different applications."
--Washington Post, 12/07/07
DON'T THROW OUT THE TOOLBOX
In 2008, if all goes well, an embryonic stem cell therapy will go to
human trials, offering hope to newly paralyzed patients.
The work of Dr. Hans Keirstead, originally funded by California's
Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act, will become the world's
first embryonic stem cell therapy.
The late paralyzed Superman, Christopher Reeve, would have been so
proud.
Yes, the new research tool is exciting news for patients and parents,
scientists and doctors alike. We all wish the best for iPS research,
that it may ease suffering, and save lives.
But we in the patient advocacy community support full stem cell
research: adult, embryonic, iSP and nuclear transfer procedures, and
none to the exclusion of the others.
However valuable any new tool may be, we must never throw out the
toolbox.
--Don C. Reed, co-chair, Californians for Cures, and father of Roman
Reed
Open letter from Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research
December 7, 2007
Dear Member of Congress:
I am writing to you on behalf of the Coalition for the Advancement of
Medical Research (CAMR). Our collective membership is comprised of the
broad and diverse community that supports the promise of embryonic stem
cell research and regenerative medicine to end disease and suffering.
Recent important discoveries in this field have reenergized the debate
regarding the continued need for full federal funding, especially for
embryonic stem cell research. We assert that these discoveries provide
the most compelling reason to date for the overturn of the presidential
veto and enactment of the widely supported Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act.
The similar studies of Drs. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin
and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, published nearly simultaneously
the week of November 19, 2007, both offer a new approach for developing
what appear to be pluripotent cells. The cells are called "iPS," or
induced pluripotent stem cells. Because the studies use adult skin cells
and do not require a human egg or embryo, the discovery has been
heralded as an end to the federal stem cell debate.
While we join with the research and medical community in commending Drs.
Thomson and Yamanaka, we believe it is short sighted and misleading to
claim that their work obviates the need for further research.
Dr. Thomson recently asserted in a Washington Post editorial jointly
authored by Dr. Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, that it is more important than ever to provide
unrestricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research'
We are disappointed that what should be viewed as a hopeful step forward
for the over 100 million patients with incurable diseases and conditions
is being used as political tool to obstruct scientific progress. We urge
you and your colleagues to look beyond the ill-informed arguments that
are attempting to divert support for what scientists continue to hail as
one of the most promising avenues of biomedical research. On behalf of
CAMR and our entire membership, let me assure you that we are united
both in our praise to Drs. Thompson and Yamanaka for their incredible
discovery and for our continued support for federal funding for
embryonic stem cell research. We will continue to work to enact the Stem
Cell Research Enhancement Act.
Sincerely,
Sean Tipton, President
The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) is the
nation's leading bipartisan pro-cures coalition. CAMR is comprised of
over 100 nationally recognized patient organizations, universities,
scientific societies, and foundations advocating for the advancement of
breakthrough research and technologies in regenerative medicine.
CAMR's advocacy and education outreach focuses on stem cell
research, somatic cell nuclear transfer, and related research fields in
which the mission is to develop treatments and cures for individuals
with life-threatening illnesses and disorders.
Don Reed
www.stemcellbattles.com <http://www.stemcell battles.com/ >
Don C. Reed is co-chair (with Karen Miner) of Californians for Cures,
and writes for their web blog, www.stemcellbattles.com
<http://www.stemcellbattles.com/ > . Reed was citizen-sponsor for
California's Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999,
named after his paralyzed son; he worked as a grassroots advocate for
California's Senator Deborah Ortiz's three stem cell regulatory
laws, served as an executive board member for Proposition 71, the
California Stem Cells for Research and Cures Act, and is director of
policy outreach for Americans for Cures. The retired schoolteacher is
the author of five books and thirty magazine articles, and has received
the National Press Award.
- 5.
-
# 398 Friday, December 14, 2007 - THE POLITICS BEHIND THE NEW STEM C
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:46 pm (PST)
# 398 Friday, December 14, 2007
<file:///C:/My%20Webs/myweb11/ ’S%20FUTURE\Archive%20322% 20Monday, %20April% 2020,%2020\
07%20-%20FLORIDA%20ONCE%20MORE% 20PIVOTAL% 20TO%20NATION
.htm> - THE POLITICS BEHIND THE NEW STEM CELL APPROACH PART ONE
Teams lead by Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, and Jamie Thomson of Wisconsin
have apparently succeeded in developing stem cells in a revolutionary
new way. Induced Pluripotentiary Stem (IPS) cell research involves
implanting four genes into a skin cell, thereby "turning back the
clock ", into any earlier form.
Reprogramming skin cells into a potentially embryonic state is an
amazing possibility. Unfortunately, opponents of embryonic stem cell
research are attempting to use the advance in a negative way: to block
research of equal or greater potential-- and to help elect opponents of
research.
Certain politicians, known enemies of stem cell research, are
shamelessly claiming credit for the new advance: as if their attempt to
impose the darkness of scientific censorship somehow added to the light.
A ban on science is not a contribution.
Those who have systematically attacked the research should not now be
rewarded, especially since they are already attempting to use IPS as a
roadblock, not an advance.
The coming elections are crucial in determining the direction of
science. Not only the future of stem cell research, but also the larger
issue of funding for the entire National Institutes of Health (NIH) is
at stake.
Here are some interesting quotes to consider.
PLAYING POLITICS WITH STEM CELL RESEARCH?
" Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President
Bush, are already arguing that the skin cell advance should end the use
of stem cells derived from human embryos. That would be shortsighted...
Scientists are years away from knowing if human skin cells will actually
work as a substitute.
"President Bush `s stem cell strategy is to deny federal funding
for research because it destroys human embryos. But his moral objection
doesn`t apply to hundreds of thousands of human embryos discarded
every year in the name of in vitro fertilization.
"the President and others (have been) playing politics with stem
cell research
Mercury News Editorial, 11/27/2007
WAS GEORGE BUSH RIGHT?
(the argument is made that) "George Bush was right, that we have now
found a way to create ˜a magical stem cell that can become bone or
brain or heart or liver" without using human embryos.
"It is not true. It is not even close to true.
"The greatest loss of all would be if these exciting new discoveries
were allowed to create the false belief that research opposed by the
Bush administration research involving embryonic stem cells rescued from
frozen embryos that would otherwise have been discarded was no longer
necessary
"The only voices saying that these new discoveries have made the
debate over stem cell research moot are the voices that were opposed to
(the) research all along."
--Susan L. Solomon, CEO, the New York Stem Cell Foundation, and Zach W.
Hall, former President, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine,
in Huffington Post, 11/30/07
REPUBLICAN COMMENT:
"I really don `t think anybody ought to take credit in light of
the six-year delay (emphasis added) we`ve had My own view is that
science ought to be unfettered and that every possible alternative ought
to be explored.
" if we can find something which is certifiably equivalent to
embryonic stem cells, fine. But we are not there yet."---Sheryl Gay
Stolberg, NY Times, 11/21/07
AND THE SCIENTISTS WHO DID THE EXPERIMENT?
The two principle investigators of the new method, Jamie Thomson of
Wisconsin and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, (both of whom recently opened
offices in stem-cell-friendly California), had this to say:
Yamanaka: " it would be a serious mistake to conclude that recent
developments in IPS cell research avert the need for ongoing research on
hES (human embryonic stem) cells. Research on IPS cells has barely begun
"tumorigenicity (cancer-causing) and safety are major concerns
"..we hold that research into all avenues of human stem cell
research must proceed together. Society deserves to have the full
commitment of scientific inquiry at its service.
"...the inspiration for IPS cell research came from an earlier stem
cell study... with hES cells.
" the recent advancements in IPS cell research would not be
possible if not it were not for years of dedicated hES cell research
that preceded them. We cannot support that notion that IPS cell research
can advance without hES research."
--"New Advances in IPS cell research do not obviate the need for
Human Embryonic Stem Cells "Shinya Yamanaka, et
al.__________________ _______-
THOMPSON: "My feeling is that the political controversy set the
field back about four or five years,". (Bush `s funding limits)
"represented very bad public policy as far as I `m concerned.
The field has been much slower taking off than it would have been
otherwise."
--Chicago Tribune, November 21, 2007
IS THE NEW RESEARCH ALL WE NEED?
"Dr. Yamanaka `s work further emphasizes the critical need we
have to continue working with naturally occurring human embryonic stem
cells, which remain the gold standard against which all alternative
sources of human pluripotent stem cells must be tested."
--Richard Murphy, interim President of the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.
AND FROM TEXAS?
" Choosing to focus on only one avenue of research or type of cell
source, would be irresponsible, unreasonable, and premature.
"Promising and successful research exploring human stem cells should
be supplemented with not supplanted by new and potentially exciting
approaches, with all forms of research moving forward along multiple
independent paths
" no one knows what important discoveries would be missed if we were
to "place all of our eggs in one new basket," especially if
that decision were largely driven by emotional and political
expediency."
William Brinkley, dean of Graduate School of Biomedical Science at
Baylor College of Medicine: Houston Chronicle, 11/24/07
AND FLORIDA?
" Because embryonic stem-cell research requires destruction of
embryos, opponents consider it the equivalent of abortion.
"President Bush is one of those opponents. In 2001, he limited the
federal government `s role in embryonic stem-cell research, and he
has vetoed legislation to expand that role. The White House claimed that
the discovery vindicated the President `s policy. "By avoiding
techniques that destroy life, while vigorously supporting alternative
approaches," a spokesman said, "President Bush is encouraging
scientific advancement within ethical boundaries."
"As in so many things scientific, Mr. Bush is wrong on the facts and
wrong on the analysis
--"Stem-cell competition, not stem-cell exclusion", Palm Beach
Post Editorial, 11.27.07
HOW ABOUT MICHIGAN?
"Restricting research and pushing researchers toward techniques
not fully understood only serves to delay the considerable medical
benefits that could lead to cures to some of the most debilitating
diseases of our time. With cancer alone killing half a million Americans
every year we don `t have time to drag our feet.
"Opponents of embryonic stem cell research see (it) as the
destruction of human life. However, the blastocysts from which embryonic
stem cells are drawn are from fertility clinics and would be discarded
anyway What exactly is immoral about using blastocysts to research ways
to save lives...?"
--The Michigan Daily, 11/27/07
HEAD OF NIH STEM CELL TASK FORCE WEIGHS IN
" the head of the National Institutes of Health stem cell task force
said it would be a mistake for scientists to back away from research on
embryonic cells. (emphasis added) Dr. Story Andis said the breakthrough
with mature cells was possible in part because of earlier work with
embryonic cells.
"This does not obviate the need for human embryonic stem cell
research", Landis said.
To be able to compare results from the two types of research "is
critical", she added.
Los Angeles Times, Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar, November 21, 2007
Part II - Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Don Reed
www.stemcellbattles.com <http://www.stemcell battles.com/ >
Don C. Reed is co-chair (with Karen Miner) of Californians for Cures,
and writes for their web blog, www.stemcellbattles.com
<http://www.stemcellbattles.com/ > . Reed was citizen-sponsor for
California `s Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999,
named after his paralyzed son; he worked as a grassroots advocate for
California `s Senator Deborah Ortiz `s three stem cell
regulatory laws, served as an executive board member for Proposition 71,
the California Stem Cells for Research and Cures Act, and is director of
policy outreach for Americans for Cures. The retired schoolteacher is
the author of five books and thirty magazine articles, and has received
the National Press Award.
- 6.
-
New method may address ethical issues
Posted by: "Stephen Meyer" meyer74@bellsouth.net stephen_meyer_stemcells
Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:50 pm (PST)
Posted on Mon, Dec. 24, 2007
STEM CELLS New method may address ethical issues
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/ <http://www.philly.com/inquirer/ >
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Scientists have reprogrammed human skin cells to mimic the all-purpose
embryonic stem cells from which the whole human body arises.
The feat, achieved by separate teams in the United States and Japan, is
fueling hopes for regenerative medicine - the use of stem cells to
regrow and repair tissues.
To reverse the developmental clock, four powerful genes were put in the
DNA of skin cells, where they exerted control. Unlike ethically
controversial methods for deriving embryonic stem cells, the new one
requires no human eggs, no embryos - and no destruction of those embryos
to extract the stem cells.
The method is relatively simple and faces no restrictions on federal
funding, unlike research that destroys the embryos. Indeed, Wisconsin's
James Thomson - leader of the breakthrough, as well as the first to
isolate embryonic stem cells a decade ago - believes the political
wrangling over embryonic stem cell research will soon be obsolete.
Big scientific obstacles remain to be overcome. Both the technique for
inserting extra genes, and the inability to turn those genes off, pose
risks of cancer.
But progress is accelerating. This month, researchers at the Whitehead
Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., treated sickle
cell anemia in mice using skin cells that were reprogrammed into
embryonic stem cells.
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