The Observer, February 25, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 19
Embryonic stem cell lines possibly contaminated
The mixed history of stem cell research in the United States continued last month, as a study released Jan. 23 by scientists at the University of California-San Diego reported that all of the existing federally-funded stem cell lines in the country are contaminated.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, however, say this is no surprise. According to Terry Devitt, UW director of research and communications, the human embryonic stem cells are grown in a culture that includes animal cells. He said the presence of animal cells compromises the use of these stem cell lines in treating humans, but that these cell lines were developed for research and never intended for use in humans.
"It isn't clear if any genetic changes have actually occurred," said Dr. Stanton Gerson, the founding director of the Ohio Wright Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. Gerson has been with the Case School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland since 1983 and is currently serving as the Case/UH cancer center.
His research interests in the areas of stem cells and DNA repair have contributed to stem cell research being conducted here. Gerson has spent time working with mesenchymal stem cells, which are loosely-packed, unspecialized cells that eventually develop into connective tissue, bone, cartilage, and the circ-ulatory and lymphatic system. Gerson developed the process of using these cells as a therapeutic infusion for blood stem cell transplantation and for the correction of genetic disorders.
Researchers at University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation now have cause for celebration after Congress recently approved a $4.5 million grant to conduct non-embryonic stem cell research, but the overall state of funding is not so rosy. The U.S. lead the world in stem cell research in the 1990s, but U.S. researchers are increasingly moving overseas due to dwindling funding at home. The U.K. is spending $30 million, Australia is spending $100 million, and Singapore is spending part of its $2 billion biotechnology budget on stem cell research. In contrast, the National Institutes of Health in the United States has invested less than $11 million into human embryonic stem cell research in the past year, some of which went to overseas centers to develop cell lines identified before 2001.
Embryonic stem cell research is politically volatile because it's linked to the right-to-life debate, as opponents of such studies do not agree with the role of emerging medical picture. The possible benefits of researching human embryonic stem cells are well known, as stem cells for having the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body.
Stem cells, are not without their side effects. The American Cancer Society found that 50 percent of patients who received a stem cell transplant had episodes of delirium, which lasted an average of 10 days. Instead of classic delirium symptoms like hallucinations, common episodes included sleep-wake-cycle disturbances, impaired attention, memory problems, and patients withdrawing into themselves. Pain symptoms also increased during delirium episodes.
Even with all the controversy, public interest in stem cell research has hit an all- time peak, with voters in four states either passing state funding measures or proposing them. Last fall, despite California's budget woes, voters approved borrowing $3 billion so state universities and medical facilities could conduct stem cell studies using lines other than the few which are eligible for federal grant money. Wisconsin, New York, and New Jersey are all proposing their own initiatives for future ballots.
