Frank Clark
ISSI470
October 11, 2002
Federal Funding is Essential for Stem-Cell Research
Diseases plague the lives of many in this world every day. Some of the most prominent ones include Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, diabetes, and cancer. Scientists are working diligently to find therapeutic agents and cures for these diseases and others. However, the long wait may be over. Stem cells are the hot topic of discussion in the scientific community. These cells can divide and give rise to specialized cells like blood, muscle, liver, and nerve.
There are three types of stems cells: totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent. Totipotent cells have the potential to become any type of cell. Pluripotent cells have the potential to become many types of cells. Multipotent are “specialized cells” that replace worn out cells in tissues and organs. They are referred to as somatic or adult stem cells. Embryonic cells are referred to as pluripotent cells. Scientists are interested in using embryonic stem cells because they have the ability to differentiate into many different cell lines. Despite their potential, there has been a lot of controversy concerning embryonic stem cells. Opponents disagree with the destruction of these embryos for research purposes. In their eyes a human life should not be destroyed. Adult stem cells are not as useful because as they age they lose their ability to differentiate into many cell types. Scientists still believe both types of stem cells should be studied in order to see which of them could be more effective for treating illnesses (Diabetes Week, 1). However, in order to investigate the potential of these stem cells for treating diseases, I believe federal funding from the government is essential.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects up to estimated 1.5 million Americans. It affects the substantia nigra cells of the mid-brain. The loss a neurotransmitter known as dopamine in these cells is the cause of Parkinson’s (National Parkinson Foundation, 1). Scientists have discovered that embryonic cell transplants could be helpful in treating Parkinson’s disease. They reported that embryonic animal cells were able to grow outside the body. Once they implanted into mice brains, the cells produced dopamine (Susman, 1).
Other studies have shown that stem cells could help treat patients with Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Catherine Verfaillie and her colleagues from the University of Minnesota conducted a study using multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs). The purpose of their experiment was to see if stem cells isolated from the marrow of adult mice and rats were as versatile as embryonic stem cells. The researchers conducted a series of in-vitro and in-vivo experiments using APCs. The in-vitro experiments showed that APCs were able to self-proliferate without aging or differentiation. The APCs are also able to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This feature is characteristic of embryonic stem cells. The in-vivo experiments showed that when the adult progenitor cells were implanted into animals they differentiated into a variety of tissues. These tissues included the liver, lung, and intestine (McCarthy, 2171, 2172).
Besides Parkinson’s disease stem cells have the potential to help treat patients with spinal cord injuries. It is estimated that 200,000 individuals in the United States have spinal cord injuries. People receive spinal cord injuries because their brain is not able to communicate with the other parts of the body. These injuries can occur at any level of the spinal cord which is approximately seventeen inches long (Paralyzed Veterans of America, 3, 4).
Scientists have conducted research with stem cells that show promise for spinal cord injury patients. A recent study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research illustrating the use of stem cells in adult rats. Scientists were able to transplant fetal neural progenitor cells in vitro into rats with injured spinal cord tissue. The experiment produced good results. The progenitor cells were able to produce new neurons. These neurons were capable of forming synaptic structures in host tissue. The rats’ motor skills also improved. This experiment was successful because fetal neural progenitor cells have the potential to play a key role in functional recovery of spinal cord injury (Stem Cell Week, 2, 3)
The next disease I want to highlight is diabetes. The hormone insulin plays a key role in diabetes. Insulin converts sugar as well as other foods into energy. A person with diabetes does not produce or properly use insulin in the body. It is estimated that 17 million people in the United States have diabetes. The statistics provided by the American Diabetes Association show that 5.9 million out of that 17 million people are unaware they have the disease (American Diabetes Association, 1).
Stem cell research may be able to reduce that number of people that have diabetes. One study was done by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital. They discovered that an intestinal hormone can stimulate the conversion of pancreatic stem cells into insulin secreting cells. They isolated stem cells called nestin-positive islets. These islets were capable of developing into beta cells. This finding is useful because it has the potential to reverse the progression of diabetes (Lawrence, 233).
Another study was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health and Science University. They were first to develop embryonic stem cells in monkeys. These stem cells were able to produce and release insulin. This is good news for diabetic patients, because these stem cells can be transplanted into their body. This study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association. However, these researchers want additional funding to pursue another goal. They want to make a primate model of stem cell transplantation for diabetes (Diabetes Week, 3, 4).
The last disease I would like to discuss involving stem cell research is cancer. Cancer is caused by growth of abnormal cells. These cancer cells are able to grow and divide like normal cells. However, their life-span outweighs the life-span of normal cells. The American Cancer Society reports that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. The quicker researchers find a treatment for this disease, the better chance people have for increasing their life-span (American Cancer Society, 1, 2).
Once again stem cells may play an important role in treating this disease. Cryo-Cell International is a company that provides hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation. These cells were useful in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia, which is a form of blood cancer. The transplant that took place was pediatric. It involved using cord blood stem cells from a younger relative (Stem Cell Week, 5). Cord blood stem cells have shown great potential in the past years. These cells have been used to fight more than seventy cancers, blood diseases, and immune disorders. There have been more than 200,000 cord blood transplants performed around the world. Bone marrow may be replaced by cord blood to fight these diseases (Blood Weekly, 15).
Based on the results from these experiments involving, stem cells it is evident that stem cells do have the potential to help treat diseases. The government should be enthusiastic about providing federal funding to allow scientists to further proceed in their investigation of stem cells. I wish the process was quick and simple. However, the word embryo has created a huge debate among the government. President Bush announced in his speech on August 9, 2001 that we would allow federal funding for only the current sixty-four cell lines. However, it has been discovered that there are actually seventy-eight existing cell lines. Don Robusky, spokesperson for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that funding was adult stem cell research for this year was under $300 million. Funding for the embryonic stem cell research is based on how many researchers apply for it (Robeznieks, 13, 14).
We must realize that while the government is hesitant to provide funding for embryonic stem cell research, money can come from the private sector. The funding from the private sector may also target researchers in other countries. For example, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation wants to raise $20 million to provide funding for both adult and embryonic stem cell research in eight countries. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s has become a contributor the stem cell research. The foundation provided $4.4 million in grants for projects in United States and Sweden (Robeznieks, 13, 14).
The US prides itself on being number one in every category. However, we are in danger if President Bush only allows limited funding for the cell lines already developed. Countries like Sweden and UK would be in the lead for biotechnological research. These countries are progressing rapidly with stem cell research because of their liberal regulations. Dr. Robin Lovell-Badge head of the developmental genetics at the UK’s National Institute for Medical Research feels that Britain is the best place to improve methods of deriving embryonic cells (Sains and Agres, 26).
Opponents of federal funding for stem cell research would probably pose the following questions. Why should tax payers’ dollars be used to finance stem cell research that involves destruction of human embryos? Why not use federal funding for adult stem cell research?
Embryonic stem cell research has shown great potential for treating diseases like diabetes and Parkinson’s. Dr. Roscoe Bartlett, who is a member of Congress and holds a doctorate in physiology, thinks there is a way to remove stem cells from an embryo without killing it. He believes that stem cells can be extracted during the early stages of embryo development. Therefore the embryo would not be destroyed. This is a complex process but it is also done with adult stem cell donation. For example, when stem cells are extract from adults surgery is required to reduce risk to the adult donor. Researchers from the NIH who support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and pro-life researchers like David Prentice of Indiana University support Bartlett’s theory (Bartlett, 44, 45).
The second question involves federal funding for just adult stem cell research. This research has shown promising results. However scientists believe that embryonic cells are better useful for this type of research because they can develop into many kinds of tissues. There are also some potential problems concerning adult stem cells. They may contain more DNA abnormalities caused by exposure to daily living, which include sunlight and toxins (Stem Cell Primer, 6)
Besides the split between pro-life and pro-choice supporters concerning federal funding for stem cell research, physicians are also debating this issue. Some agree that federal funding should be provided for embryonic stem-cell research, while others believe it should be provided for both embryonic and adult stem cell research. However, both sides agree that federal funding will lead to quicker discoveries if the research is not solely funded by the private sector. Doctors from all over the United States have expressed their views on the federal funding issue. Dr. Tim Gorski, an obstetrician-gynecologist supports embryonic stem cells because he believes the cells are “pre-embryos.” However, Dr. Orr, a family medicine professor at the University of Vermont believes that we should not speed up the death of an individual to save the live of another one. The question that has been posed is why not study both adult stem cells and embryonic cells. Dr. Frank Boehm, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Vanderbilt University shares his opinion. “Researchers should do a comparison using both cell types and compare the results. This is what “research” is all about” (Albert, 1, 2).
I agree with Dr. Boehm’s view on stem cell research. Scientists should be able to study all types of stem cells with the appropriate federal funding. The main goal is to help find possible cures for diseases. The bickering over whether embryonic or adult stem cells are better, or whether the destruction of human embryos is a just cause to save the life of others is causing the government to halt the progress of this research. Do we want European countries to become superior over America in biotechnological research? The benefits from stem research cells are many years away. Some researchers estimate five to ten years (Robeznieks, 13). However, if the government is going to limit their funding for certain types of stem cell research, we can probably add ten to twenty years to see the benefits. Christopher Reeves is suffering from spinal cord injury, while Michael J. Fox suffers from Parkinson’s. They are just two examples of people who are urging the government to provide funding for stem cell research. I have a father who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell research may help prolong his life. This is the era of medical discovery. Senator Arlen Specter believes that science should have the full range of opportunity (Issues in Science and Technology, 31). I believe the only way to accomplish this opportunity is to provide federal funding for all types stem cells.
References
Albert, Tanya. “Stem-Cell research divides doctors along with country.” American Medical News 44 (2001):1-2
American Cancer Society. “What is Cancer.” 9 Oct. 2002
American Diabetes Association. “Basic Diabetes Information.” 10 Oct. 2002
Bartlett, Roscoe. “Do stem-cell research without killing embryos.” Insight on the News 17 (2001): 44-45
“Endocrinology; OHSU researchers develop monkey stem cells that could lead to diabetes treatment.” Diabetes Week15 Jul. 2002: 3
McCarthy, Michael. “Two new studies likely to add fire to stem-cell debate.” The Lancet 359 (2002): 2171
Lawrence, David. “ Stem-cell researchers offer possible therapy for diabetes.” The Lancet 360 (2002): 233
National Parkinson’s Foundation. “What the Patient Should Know.” 8 Oct. 2002
National Institutes of Health. “ Stem Cells: A Primer.” 20 Sep. 2002
“New limits on funding of stem cell research questioned.” Issues in Science and Technology 18(2001): 29-31
Paralyzed Veterans of America. “An Introduction to Spinal Cord Injury, Understanding The Changes 4th ed.” 9 Oct. 2002
Roeznieks, Andis. “Promise of stem cell research still years away.” American Medical News 45 (2002): 13-14
Sains, Arlene., and Agres ,Ted. “The stem cell frontier.” Europe Apr. 2002:26-31
“Spinal Cord Injury; In vitro-expanded neural stem cell therapy improves rats.” Stem Cell Week30 Sep. 2002: 2
“Stem Cell Research; Cord Blood stem cell transplant used for leukemia patient.” Stem Cell Week 26 Aug. 2002: 5
“Stem Cell Research; Primer Answers Basic Questions.” Diabetes Week6 Aug. 2001: 6-7
Susman, Ed. “Government seen slowing progress in Parkinson’s.” Biotechnology Newswatch5 Mar. 2001: 1
“Transplant Medicine; Baby brother provides lifesaving stem cells for his sister.” Blood
Weekly22 Aug. 2002: 15