The basic idea of the article is that a method has been developed that can artificially create stem cells without the use of embryonic stem cells, thus side stepping the issue of using early stage human embryo stem cells, which destroys the human embryo. Adult stem cells are also used, but are less flexible. Embryo stem cells have the ability to mutate into one of the body's 200 tissue types, whereas adult stem cells have already mutated and can only be used for certain tissue types. One of the goals of stem cell research is to develop new therapies for diseases, such as Type 1 Diabetes, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, MS, and various cancers, that currently have no treatment.
From the article, here is a timeline of major stem cell research:
1998: James Thomson, U of Wisconsin, isolates human embryonic stem cells
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2001: President Bush restricts federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells
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2004: Douglas Melton of Harvard creates more than 70 embryonic-stem-cell lines using private funding and distributes free copies of the cells to researchers around the world
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2006: Shinya Yamanaka, Kyoto University, turns back the clock on mouse skin cells to create the first induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, or stem cells made without the use of embryos. He uses only four genes, which are inserted into a skin cell's genome using retrovirus vectors
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2007: Yamanaka and Thomson separately create the first human iPS cells
2008- July: Kevin Eggan at Harvard generates the first patient-specific cells from iPS cells — motor neurons from two elderly women with ALS
2008- August: Melton bypasses stem cells altogether and transforms a type of mouse pancreatic cell that does not produce insulin into one that does
2008- September: Konrad Hochedlinger at Harvard creates iPS cells in mice using the common-cold virus rather than retrovirus vectors — an important step in making the technology safer for human use
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2008- October: Melton's team makes human iPS cells by replacing two of the four genes, known to cause cancer, with chemicals. All four must be swapped out before iPS-generated cells can be transplanted into people
2008- October: Yamanaka creates mouse iPS cells using safer plasmids of DNA instead of retrovirus vectors
- 2009: January: Food and Drug Administration approved the first trial of an embryonic- stem-cell therapy for a handful of patients paralyzed by spinal-cord injuries
There are other controversies around stem cells besides the use of human embryos. You know it is a big deal when it has its own Wikipedia page (Stem Cell Controversy). Some say that cloning cells could lead to cloning humans and devaluing the worth of a human being. According to the Washington Post, the Catholic Church "condemns as immoral the destruction of human embryos to obtain stem cells or treat infertility, and denounces any attempts at more futuristic possibilities such as cloning people or using gene therapy to enhance the human race."
I'll be the first to admit that the I don't have the best understanding of all this, from the scientific, ethical, political, or religious perspective. I realize it is a very sensitive issue to people for varying reasons, but I think it is important to have logical, discussions about issues like this one. I think it is a fascinating discovery and am curious what the research will produce 1, 5, or 10 years from now.
Here's one last article I didn't get a chance to read, but its from The Economist, so it should be good!
