Adult Stem Cells Could End the Ethical Debate

Stem cell research has been one of the more hotly debated issues of our time. It has presented an ethical dilemma for scientists and those with medical conditions who could benefit from stem cell use. Many, including President Bush, feel the use of creating human embryos just to kill them and use their stem cells is unethical and destroys human life. Even if the use of those stem cells could cure such diseases like Parkinson's or restore body movement to spinal cord injury victims, many felt it was a sin to sacrifice a defenseless life, regardless of the benefits. They stressed that science should attempt to find other ways to harvest stem cells without creating life with the express purpose of killing it.

The arguments on both sides may now be moot. In a series of stories by Japanese paper The Daily Yomiuri and carried by the Associated Press, recent medical research is showing that adult stem cells may be able to provide all of the benefits of embryonic stem cells, without having to kill the donor. Of course, knowing how or why they work means knowing exactly what stem cells are and what they can do. Stem cells are the building blocks of tissue: they are cells not yet differentiated into specific types of tissue. Adult stem cells are multipotent, meaning that they have the potential to become many types of tissue. It is believed that adult stem cells roam the body trying to repair or replace damaged cells, and can be harvested from many sources, including umbilical cord blood, placentas, skin, and bone marrow. They were originally discovered in 1998 but their use was largely ignored by the media during the recent stem cell debate.

Until recently, it was believed that adult stem cells were not as versatile or effective as embryonic stem cells, and were not able to become every type of tissue in the body. That all changed in 2007, when Prof. Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University in Japan created a process now known as "dedifferentiation." This new process creates embryo-like stem cells without human eggs and without creating and destroying human cloned embryos. Yamanaka successfully transformed skin cells into what appear to be more versatile stem cells. These cells are called "induced pluripotent stem cells" (iPS) and exhibit the typical activity seen in embryonic stem cells.

The results so far are impressive. According to an April report from Texas Right to Life, there are several cases in which adult stem cells were utilized. In one situation, pancreatic islet cells from a cadaver were transplanted into a diabetic man, who now no longer needs insulin shots. In California, an 18-year-old woman whose spinal cord was severed has regained some use of her legs, toes, and bladder from white blood cell therapy. Umbilical cord blood stem cells were used to cure three boys with defective immune systems. In California, a 2-year-old boy from California who suffered from cerebral palsy has improved drastically and may be cured after receiving a cord blood stem cell transplant. A Canadian woman with multiple sclerosis received a transfusion of her own bone marrow stem cells and regained the ability to walk unassisted, think clearly, and care for herself.

In March, the Family Research Council brought three individuals to Washington, DC to testify before Congress in favor of adult stem cell research. Barry Goudy, a man with multiple sclerosis who could barely walk, testified that he was cured by adult stem cell therapy. Amy Daniels had scleroderma (a rare autoimmune disease that affects connective tissue in the body) but was successfully treated with her own stem cells. Many of Jill Rosen's lupus symptoms eased after adult stem cell treatment.

With more funding and increased research, adult stem cells could totally replace the use of embryonic stem cells. What is unclear now is whether science and politicians will be able to see past the moral debate to give adult stem cell research the attention it needs.