Wed Oct 12, 2005 8:24 pm   Reply with quote      

University of Minnesota researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into cancer-fighting cells in the lab.

The research at the Stem Cell Institute doesn’t offer an immediate cancer treatment, but the findings suggest that stem cells eventually could be used to boost the body’s ability to fight tumors.

Using one of the federally approved embryonic stem cell lines, scientists first coaxed the cells to turn into blood cells, including “natural killer cells.” These naturally occurring cells produce proteins that attack tumors.

Then the research team mixed the killer cells with cancer cells in a culture dish and watched as the cancer cells died, according to a report in the Journal of Immunology.

“This is really the first evidence that we can harness human embryonic stem cells to make a cell population that is able to kill tumor cells,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, an assistant professor at the institute and coauthor of the report.

Researchers next plan to test whether stem cell-derived killer cells will attack tumors in mice, he said. Similar studies elsewhere using adult stem cells have successfully attacked cancer cells in lab animals, Kaufman said.

In theory, boosting the body’s natural killer cells should help battle cancers. It remains unclear whether adult or embryonic stems cells will be more promising in such efforts.

Kaufman said researchers eventually may be able to target natural killer cells to attack tumor cells. For that to work, more embryonic cell lines may be needed, he said. Government rules now limit the number of such stem cell lines available for federally funded research.

Aaron

Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:13 pm   Reply with quote      

Politics heavily influenced by religious groups is getting in the way.

Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:34 pm   Reply with quote      

I wonder what "federally approved" actually means... what are they approving exactly?

Aaron

Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:11 pm   Reply with quote      

... a bit complicated.

Policy debate in the U.S.

Origins of debate

In 1995, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, prohibiting federal funding of research that involves the use of a human embryo. Privately funded research led to the breakthrough that made embryonic stem cell research possible in 1998, prompting the Clinton Administration to develop federal regulations for its funding. Preparations for this funding were completed in 2001. President George W. Bush announced, on August 11, 2001 that federal funds could be used to support research on the newly developed field of human embryonic stem cells, but that funding would be limited to "existing (embryonic) stem cell lines where the 'life-and-death decision' has already been made". This limitation does not apply to research involving stem cells from other sources, such as umbilical cord blood, placentas, and adult and animal tissues. Some conservative religious groups felt the restrictions should have been stronger, while some scientists felt frustrated with the restrictions.

In 2002, President Bush appointed the Council on Bioethics, an advisory group composed of 18 doctors, legal and ethical scholars, scientists and a journalist. In February 2004, Bush removed from the council two advocates of embryonic stem cell research, professor of ethics William May and biologist Elizabeth Blackburn. In their place, he appointed pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson, political scientist Dr. Diana Schaub, and professor of government Dr. Peter Lawler, all of whom have a more cautious point of view toward embryonic stem cell research. All of the Council members support adult stem cell research. Some scientists are concerned that embryonic stem cell research has become a politicized issue instead of a scientific issue in the national mindset, and feel that the politicization distorts representation of the scientific issues.

Private funding

The Bush administration's decision does not prohibit private embryonic stem cell research. Pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies initially expressed little interest because they consider therapies based on cells, which might have to be tailored to each patient, to be less profitable than one-size-fits-all drugs. However, there are start-up biotechs entering the field. They include StemCells Inc. and Aastrom Biosciences. Others are reluctant to enter the market because they fear government restrictions preventing them from capitalizing on the research. However, private research groups (such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) are now financing individual medical treatments, including all of those mentioned in this article.

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