Stem cell cure hope closer

[Guest guest]

Stem cell cure hope closer

June 25, 2004

http://tinyurl.com/65v9v

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/25/1088046261808.html?from=s

torylhs & oneclick=true

* Stem cell research

Cures for diabetes, Alzheimer's and spinal cord damage could be as

little as five years away, after the landmark creation of more than

one million stem cells from a single Australian embryo.

The work of Sydney IVF's research laboratories, the achievement is the

first time Australian scientists have cultured embryonic stem cells

from an Australian embryo on home turf.

Although legal hurdles have set the nation's stem cell research two

years behind the United States-led cutting edge, Sydney IVF medical

director Professor Jansen is confident of catching up.

" There are several hurdles, ... but there's a small chance it will be

inside five years, " Prof Jansen said of the possible therapeutic uses

of cultured embryonic stem cells.

One of those hurdles has already been overcome by research director Dr

Tomas Stojanov and his team - the need to grow the cells on human

" feeder layers " rather than culturing them on mouse cells.

However, safety and anti-contamination guidelines are yet to be drawn

up, the issue of tissue rejection by stem cell recipients must be

overcome and scientists need to work out how to generate enough cells

to meet demand.

Advertisement Advertisement

" At the moment ... there are not enough lines for research and future

clinical use, " Dr Stojanov said.

The Sydney team is now trying to automate the process of extracting

viable cells from unwanted five-day-old embryos, so they can produce

stem cells in much greater volumes.

Millions of cells would need to be injected as a treatment for just

one patient, Dr Stojanov explained.

The cells cultivated by the Sydney IVF team remain undifferentiated,

meaning they have the potential to turn into any cell in the human

body.

There's already a huge demand for the IVF clinic's stem cells, from

medical research scientists who plan to turn them into nerve, heart

and pancreatic cells, among others.

" The obvious direction of the research is the treatment of serious

childhood and adult diseases where cells are lost or damaged or

destroyed and can't be replaced by the body's own stem cells, " he

said.

" That's true of some tissues more than others, particularly the brain

and spinal cord (and) in childhood diabetes, where the

insulin-producing cells of the pancreas have lost their function or

are so depleted in number they can't do their job. "

Conditions that have the potential to be treated with stem cells

include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor

neurone disease, spinal cord and brain damage, diabetes and heart

conditions.

The clinic won licences in April to cultivate stem cells from as many

as 600 embryos, after the federal government legislated to allow

research on human embryos.

In May this year the clinic thawed an embryo frozen in March 2000,

then extracted cells from its centre and placed them on a human

cell-based " feeder " culture to grow.

There are strict criteria for the harvesting of stem cells - the

embryos must have been created for the purpose of assisted

reproduction and the permission of its parents must be obtained.

The embryo also must be one that would otherwise have been discarded,

but that doesn't excuse the research in the eyes of Right To Life

Australia or the Catholic church.

" Two wrongs don't make a right - they should not have created excess

embryos in the first place, " said Margaret Tighe, president of Right

To Life Australia.

" Quite clearly this involves the destruction of a very small human

being for the benefit of other human beings. "

Even if embryonic stem cells could save a loved one, Ms Tighe said she

would remain against the research going ahead.

The Life Office, an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney,

condemned the research as unethical and scientifically unnecessary.

" Although embryonic stem cells have been used for research around the

world for some time, there have been no human trials and there are

still no approved medical treatments, " Life Office executive officer

Dr Brigid Vout said.

" It is research using stem cells from adults which holds the greatest

therapeutic promise.

" Adult stem cells are already being successfully used to cure disease

or overcome injury in patients. "

Prof Jansen acknowledged that a cure is yet to be effected using

embryonic stem cells, but pointed out that the research had only been

given legislative approval after vigorous and protracted debate.

" I'm very proud that Australia has risen to the occasion legislatively

to permit this, " he said.

Prime Minister also reiterated that the work was legal.

" I support very much the law that was agreed upon at the premiers'

conference in 2002 and I want that law observed, " Mr told

reporters.

More than half of the clients at Sydney IVF were in favour of donating

their excess embryos for stem cell research, Prof Jansen added.

" I think most couples, when they've had such an amount of difficulty

getting pregnant, realise that their success has depended on people

who've donated embryos before for research, " he explained.

The couple who donated the embryo used to cultivate the stem cells

revealed this week were " absolutely delighted " , Prof Jansen said.

" They expressly asked that they be informed when the embryos they

declared to be excess were entered into a scientific study, " he said.

" When I phoned them to say they'd produced the first stem cell line

they were over the moon. "