Harvard University scientists who created cells similar to human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos have reached an encouraging milestone, though the work is still too preliminary to abandon using human embryos.
It is time for Congress to loosen the restrictions on stem-cell research even as science moves toward an approach that may cool off the opposition from some social conservatives.
The Harvard researchers fused a human skin cell with an embryonic stem cell to produce a hybrid that resembled the stem cell. That could make it possible someday to produce genetically matched tissue for patients without creating and destroying a cloned embryo.
Stem-cell research could lead to treatments for a variety of diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and various cancers. Among the most prominent proponents are Denver congresswoman Diane DeGette, former first lady Nancy Reagan and, most recently, Senate Republican leader Dr. Bill Frist.
To their credit, the Harvard researchers cautioned that the fusion technique is in very preliminary stages, has serious drawbacks and shouldn’t be seen as a reason for halting research that uses human embryos.
“Our technology is not ready for prime time,” said Kevin Eggan, an author of the paper that appeared in this week’s edition of Science. “Our results do not offer an alternative now.”
Currently, using excess human embryos that otherwise would be destroyed by fertility clinics is an emotional issue. Opponents, most prominently President Bush, say human life begins at fertilization and oppose harvesting new lines of stem cells from those surplus embryos. Only embryonic stem cells produced before Aug. 9, 2001, can be used in research receiving federal funding under an order issued by Bush.
Although the new technique is promising, there are problems, including the fact that the fused stem cell contains twice the genetic material that cells normally have. So far, researchers haven’t found a way to remove the excess genetic material.
Also, one of the researchers told the Boston Globe that the method is inefficient: 50 million skin cells fused with 50 million embryonic stem cells would produce only 10 to 20 of the fused hybrid cells.
A real danger is that opponents of embryonic stem-cell research will prematurely say the development is justification for continuing the federal funding ban, which the House wants to rescind. But the ban is based on misperceptions of the current science and is an impediment to research that could save or enhance human lives. Both paths of obtaining stem cells should be explored to find the best course.
