Could the New Breakthrough in Stem Cells Stifle Research?

In 2006, a Japanese scientist named Shinya Yamanaka developed a method for turning the skin cells of mice into stem cells [1]. It was an enormous breakthrough in the field of stem cell research, though it was unclear at the time whether or not the same procedure could be reproduced with human skin cells. In November of 2007, two teams of scientists (one led by Yamanaka and one led by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin) caused human skin cells to be transformed into cells showing the properties of stem cells. [1]

Stem cells are enormously important in medical science because they show so much promise for treating a multitude of diseases. Illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, Muscular Dystrophy, spinal cord illnesses and many, many more may be cured using stem cells. Stem cells come from a human embryo when it is in the blastocyte stage, meaning that it is a ball of about 50 to 150 cells floating in the fallopian tubes and uterus just after fertilization [1]. They are so useful because of their versatility; they may turn into any of the over 200 types of human cells. Stem cells transplanted into the heart will develop into whatever type of heart cells surround them (such as cardiac muscle), and the same will occur with any cell of the body. [1]

This development in stem cell is a huge step, but it is by no means a final step. A great deal of research still must be done one stem cell production before the disease treatment phase of research even begins. The “stem cells” produced from skin cells will likely have a great number of differences from the real stem cells that can only be harvested from embryos, and, because of the new development, funding for research into embryonic stem cells is even more difficult to come by [1]. Skin cells that are transformed into stem cells are dangerous to even use in medicine now because their production requires the disruption of skin cell DNA, often leading to mutations; most of the mice which had the procedure done developed cancer [1]. I can only hope that this new breakthrough will not be used as a political tool to completely stifle stem cell research. The White House is even claiming credit for the discovery because of their seven year ban on embryonic stem cell research [1]. Hopefully, the new development in stem cells will not stifle stem cell research.


Bibliography

[1] “Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Stifle Research” Livescience 27 Nov. 2007
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