Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Stem cells should be researched
By Juliette Funes
Daily Titan (Cal State-Fullerton)
06/28/2007

(U-WIRE) FULLERTON, Calif. — President Bush recently vetoed a bill that would allow federal funding for embryonic stem cells on the premise that "it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos."

Embryonic stem cell research has become an issue, with some saying Americans are crossing a moral line by destroying human life and others saying it holds promise of finding cures for diseases like Alzheimer's.

But what is embryonic stem cell research and what can it do?

Stem cells can replicate themselves without limit and develop into different types of cells of the body. Scientists can then repair or replace damaged tissue with these cells, ultimately treating diseases, said Maura Hofstadter, director of the education and scientific liaison for the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, in an e-mail.

Aileen Anderson, an assistant professor of anatomy and neurobiology at UC Irvine and a researcher for the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, said stem cells have tremendous potential for finding cures for diseases like diabetes.

By studying human stem cells, scientists can understand how they work, how they can be used as replacement cells and how to change them into either multipotent stem cells — cells that can give rise to a limited number of different cell types — or pluripotent stem cells — cells that can develop into any type of cell in the body, Anderson said.

Embryonic stem cells, which are pluripotent, are isolated from human embryos when they are three to five days old. The National Institutes for Health defines embryos as "the developing organism from the time of fertilization until the end of the eighth week of gestation, when it is called a fetus."

Many embryos are created outside the body for in vitro fertilization purposes in fertility clinics. Embryos that are not implanted are either discarded or donated for research with the donor's consent.

A large number of cells are needed for stem cell replacement therapies and embryonic stem cells supply that because they can be easily grown. However, "It is currently more difficult to coax adult stem cells into large quantities of cells, like those needed for many transplants," Hofstadter said. Research on embryonic stem cells is still in its early stages.

According to the institute, experiments on embryonic stem cells have only been taking place since 1998. Scientists are still learning how to grow and use the cells.

It's important to do both types of research to understand how to cure diseases, and having federal funding would help, Anderson said.

"We have resigned to being at the back of the pack ... we have given up the world lead in that department," she added.

Leslie Elizondo, a senior majoring in English, asked, "If it's going to be donated and is going to be disposed of anyway why not use it for something good and use it to help find cures for people?"

A majority of scientists don't feel that there is anything wrong with embryonic stem cell research, Anderson said.

"Embryonic stem cells don't have the same moral values as the person I'm trying to save," she said.

"I find it far more unethical to throw out something so valuable and something that has the potential to stop the suffering for millions," Hofstadter said.

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