NEW STEM CELL GUIDELINES AND BREAKTHROUGHS

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CHANGES IN STEM CELL RESEARCH, NEW GUIDLINES

 Stem cells may soon offer new ways to treat disease.  Researchers now can make the cells without using embryos.  Until recently, stem cell research revolved around embryonic stem cells to turn them into one of the body’s 200-tissue types.

Over the last 2 years things have changed fast.  The newest stem cell does not rely on embryos at all.  New cell are generated by reprogramming a mature cell into becoming another, bypassing stem cells entirely.  Mature skin cells can be reprogrammed into an embryonic state by using proteins instead of genes.

HISTORY

It was only 11 years ago that Thomson isolated human embryonic stem cells.  Three years later President Bush restricted federal funding for research on the human stem cells.

 In 2004, Melton of Harvard found 70 cell lines.  In 2006, Yamanaka of Kyoto Japan, created the first stem cells made without the use of embryos.  He used on 4 genes out of the 30 most common genes and inserted them into the skin cell genome using retrovirus vectors instead of human eggs. 

This alternative approach, introduced genes into a mature human cell, reprogramming the cell into a primitive state.  Rather than a human embryo, a cancer-causing virus was used to transport the genes.  The DNA of the inserted genes could trigger other unwanted genetic changes in the target cell.

 In 2008, Melton bypassed stem cells altogether and changed a pancreatic cell that does not produce insulin into one that does.   One month later Hochedlinger of Harvard created the stem cell using a common cold virus, making the technology safer.   In October, Melton replaced two of the four genes with chemicals, leaving only two necessary.  In October, Yamanaka used plasmids of DNS instead of retrovirus vectors.

March 2009--STEM CELL BREAKTHROUGH

Instead of using four introduced genes, the same result was achieved with four proteins associated with those genes.   Not manipulating genes has made it safer.  

The proteins can penetrate the cell and return it to a primitive state.  The skin tissue came from fibroblasts.   A benign adenovirus was used by one group of scientists.  Another group removed the viruses and genes once their job was done.  The hope is to avoid biological material and only use molecules to reprogram cells.

 The next generation stem cells soon may replace the embryonic stem cells in treatments.  Damaged cells depleted by disease soon can be replaced.

April 2009---NEW STEM CELL GUIDELINES

Finally,  on April 15,2009, the NIH drafted guidelines on human stem cell research.  It expands the number of human embryonic stem cell lines available to researchers, eliminating cutoff dates for federal funding.

But some restrictions remain.  The cell lines must come from donations by couples in fertility treatment.  Other stem cell lines from cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer  (SCNT) will not be eligible for federal funding.  Detailed informed consent requirements were also added. 

President Obama lifted the restriction Pres. Bush placed on stem cell line research.  It did not spell out eh source of the embryos, leaving it up to the NIH.  The NIH now has spelled out the embryo dilemma: “ The stem cells must come from embryos created by in vitro fertilization for reproductive purpose and no longer needed for that purpose.   Other sources and/or IVF embryos created for research purposes are not allowed."  Congress has also banned funding from human embryos under the Dickey-Wicker amendment.

Everyone supports research on surplus embryos but not from other embryo sources.Funding is continued for research from cultivated adult cells, which many think will serve the same purpose. 

Researchers want to use somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) where embryos are made by inserting DNA from the skin cell of a patient with a disease into an enucleated egg.   Currently this is banned, as is parthenotes, where short-lived embryos are made from an unfertilized egg.  The NIH will issue final rules on July 7,2009

 COMMENTARY

The race is on to commercialize the latest technique. Stem cell discoveries soon may bring lifesaving breakthroughs in curing disease rather than treating the; creating new ways of thinking about repairing damaged tissue.

 Visit www.drneedles.com for more commentary medical blogs on controversial medical subjects.  As usual, your comments are deeply appreciated.

Sources: Science 4.24.20/   Time Feb. 9,2009  /  Journal Cell Stem Cell, April 2009