Nature editorial, let’s have fun with this one!

Sometimes the material rolls in so fast I wish I could spend all day blogging it! But alas, with a house full of kids, and a husband who does need to eat occasionally, it’s just not reasonable.

How about we take our time with this editorial from Nature, “An Inconvenient Truth: Research on Embryonic Stem Cells Must Go On“. What do you think? Shall we peruse, as they say, and enjoy this one together? I’m really getting a laugh out of a few of these paragraphs.

I’d like to start with the title of the thing, personally. Incovenient Truth . . . inconvenient for . . . who? Who is backed into the corner here forced to make excuses for destroying  embryos . . . that must be very inconvenient, indeed.

 And how about the end:

Just as soon as there is no scientific need to work on embryonic stem cells, researchers will design their experiments to use much easier material. But that moment has not yet arrived.

No scientific need? Well, that’s the ticket, isn’t it? This is like inventing the perpetual motion machine of justifications.

Your thoughts?

Round Two:

Do they think this really helps:

Many stem-cell scientists share this general unease, both because of the dilemma of working with embryos and because women must donate eggs for the process, in a highly invasive procedure. . .

These scientists are not oblivious to the ethical issues and they are not merely indulging personal fascination. They have not denied the importance of doing research on adult stem-cells and reprogramming in parallel. It would be a relief for them if all the scientific problems had been solved in the papers published last week — abandoning work on human embryonic stem cells would allow them to operate with a clear conscience and without having to defend their work all the time.

Embryonic stem cell researchers are now moral martyrs! They are offering up their own personal sense of moral peace for the greater good of all! Do you find this article as pathetic as I do?

Did it not occur to them that acknowledging moral conflicts works against them here? These “conscientious” scientists are not coming across as science heroes. They are coming across as moral failures. Period.

I much prefer the moral agnostic who simply doesn’t believe it’s wrong to destroy embryos to the conflicted soul who just can’t muster up the courage to stand up for his convictions and do the right thing. As I said before, if Nature is giving us an accurate window into the concsience of our scientific community, we’ve got a crisis of leadership.

A faithful servant goes home

Henry Hyde, my district’s Congressional Representative for many years, has died. Hyde was a strong advocate for pro-life legislation and policy and a good man. May he rest in peace.

TheraVitae: Adult stem cell therapies remain vitally important

Is there anything more American than finding a way to get things done? This is just the image I have of Don Margolis, founder of TheraVitae, an international adult stem cell company: gentleman rebel, impatient bio-entrepreneur, and pragmatist with a heart. Margolis endured the loss of his wife to cancer and found himself a man with a new a mission in life – to restore hope to those that conventional medicine seemed content to leave behind.

Margolis raised both enough cash (largely from venture capitalists), and interest among some professionals in regenerative medicine, but he found the FDA was just not on board -  needlessly, he thought, playing name games with stem cells to slow down the process of approval.  It would take years and many more millions to do all Margolis hoped to do – unless, that is, he based his company elsewhere. And so, several clinical trials and 275 patients later, TheraVitae works from VesCell clinics within hospitals primarily in Bankok and Singapore  

Therapies unapproved by the FDA, venture capitalism, exotic cities, last hope for dying patients, foreign doctors, medical tourism . . . the unfounded impression of intrigue and impropriety is one that TheraVitae has dealt with  from the beginning.  For reasons perhaps better left unexplored, we Americans have a difficult time combining certain concepts. Is there something wrong with making money from cutting-edge life-saving therapies? Surely not, given the strength of the pharmaceutical industry in our country. Are Thai medical standards and medical ethics inferior to our own? There is no reason to assume as much. “Foreign” doctors have been saving lives within the U.S. for years.

Margolis and, as far as I can tell, his professional team are neither here nor there with regard to the ethics of using human embryos in research and clinical treatments. Ever-pragmatic, he simply sees through the consistently empty promises of “potential” cures promulgated by the media on behalf of embryonic stem cell labs in the U.S. and abroad. Autologous stem cells, in this case, blood cells have worked already -  improving heart function and extending lives. Trials with autologous blood cells for cardiac patients have recently been ongoing in the U.S., but as with all trials – those in most desperate need are often exluded. Some among this category of patients are sometimes (if not often) accepted for treatment by TheraVitae clinics, if their own cardiologists will consent.

Because of VesCell treatments, Hawaiian performer Don Ho was able to spend an extra year and a half doing what he loved to do, sing on stage. Like Ho, most who pursue VesCell treatments are older and in end-stage heart failure. Many were, before treatment, hospice bound. But not all are “old”. The parents of a young disabled woman from Pennsylvania hope VesCell treatments will curtail the need for a heart-lung transplant – all she’s eligible for here in the U.S. I thought we’d send a few questions over to  ”StemCellGuy“, TheraVitae’s apparent online spokesperson. He quickly and graciously replied – so let’s get to it:

Stemming Government Cell Research

Catholic Exchange features an article from Acton Institute fellow Kevin Schmiesing, Ph.D. One of many great points in the article, Stemming Government Cell Research:

To argue against government funding is not, as some assume, to encourage the atrophy of science. Private largesse provided tens of millions of dollars for stem cell research in California alone, the Washington Post reported last year, “dwarf[ing] annual National Institutes of Health spending” in the field.

Do we really need tiny pulsing masses?

For some time now adult stem cell therapies have been tremendously effective for heart patients – and they still are. A recent experiment out of the Netherlands (where embryonic stem cell research is permitted) using adult stem cells yielded – without much surprise - promising results.

A Leiden University PhD student injected human “Epicardium Derived Cells” or EPDC’s into the hearts of a mice just after inducing infarction. These mice were observed to have improved heart function, but even better:

Two weeks following cell transplantation, the treated hearts contained more blood vessels, the heart muscle cells exhibited an increased activity of DNA damage repair, and the wall was thicker where the infarct had occurred. These results suggest that EPDC’s have an almost instant stimulating effect on the surrounding heart tissue following transplantation.

In other words, after a heart attack, the transplanted cells helped minimize tissue damage and death, and at the same time put the heart through enough “strength-training” to prevent further failure.

Great news right? Yeah!

So, when UC Davis stem cell researcher and professor Ronald Li says, “Our latest study gives us great hope of eventually achieving a breakthrough where stem cell therapy could be used in the types of cases that today require a heart transplant,” .  . . what kind of stem cell therapy might he have in mind? All the great life-saving work the pro-active professionals at TheraVitae are committed to? Nope. How about the Texas Heart Institute’s Stem Cell Center? Uh-uh.

What Li has in mind is the discovery of  calcium stores in early heart cells. It’s an important find because, as it turns out, these cells need to be able to handle calcium so that excitation-contraction coupling – a process needed to make the heart pump – can occur. Unfortunately, these early heart cells came from human embryos:

Li and his colleagues took human embryonic stem cells and grew them in cultures, allowing them to differentiate, or develop, into heart cells. Once they had these tiny, pulsing masses, the investigators energized the cells with small amounts of electrical current and chemicals, including caffeine.

What’s next for Li and company? Jan Nolta, director of the UC Davis Stem Cell Program gives us some clues:

“As additional embryonic stem cell lines become available for research, we’ll be able to more fully explore the possibilities inherent in this powerful field of bioscience.”

That’s right. Before they can deliver,  they need more stem cell lines – more human embryos. Meanwhile, back at the TheraVitae ranch, lives are being saved and no embryos are destroyed. Stay tuned: tomorrow an interview with Stem Cell Guy about TheraVitae.

Politicians Don’t Get it, As Usual

From Life News, Lawmakers Still Want Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research Funding, despite the recent breakthrough in reverting human skin cells into embryonic-like cells. But then what can you expect when the very researchers who made such a profound discovery are still encouraging the unethical, and now unnecessary, use of human embryos for stem cell research?

In related news, Researchers Use Adult Stem Cells to Replace Immune Systems in Mice. Gee, are we starting to see a pattern here??

A little stem cell leadership would be nice

The pro-embryonic stem cell research aftershocks coming after the iPSC Thanksgiving surprise are certainly attention grabbing. Some are remounting what we thought was a dying horse. “Embryonic stem cell research must go on!” they cry. Will their defiant rumblings and grumblings amount to anything . . . are they of real concern or just the pitiful death rattle of a giant about to topple over? I don’t know. It is a time for some stem cell leadership.

I’d like to see James Thomson, who has been vocal about his embryonic research qualms finish the whole thing off – not by means of his passive, regret-driven, wishful thinking about the course of the future, but by truly and aggressively campaigning for an end to embryonic stem cell research. If he has had serious qualms about destroying embryos and he believes in the potential of iPSC’s, why not make a stand? Now is the time, if ever.

Why? Read Dr. Dan’s latest, “Steady as We Go and Stay the Course, “, Fr. Berg’s, “IPSC: What the Scientists are Saying“, and Wesley Smith, “Lead Into Gold: Stem Cell Counter Attack“.

But we can’t expect good leadership from the morally confused. Thomson, brilliant a mind as he has with regard to science, doesn’t seem to have a coherent let alone praiseworthy set of ethics. Instead of leading toward an ethically sound stem cell future, he insists that embryo destructive research shouldn’t cease. Sorry to say, while Thomson will fill up several noteworthy entries in the annals of science from here on out, and while he may even be in line for a Nobel, he won’t be known for making a stand on principle when he was most needed.

Dr. Dan: Steady as We Go and Stay the Course

 

  

This just in from Dr. Dan Pepin:

Just a little over a week ago, I could not foresee the need to write this article, but here I am. Due to the multitudes of correspondences I have received and the abundance of recent pro embryonic news articles, I feel strongly compelled to wave a flag of caution. An astounding number of e-mails in my box are confidently proclaiming that the scientific technique of cell reprogramming has all but put an end to embryonic stem cell research and cloning, thereby suggesting there is no longer a need for educating the public on the issues surrounding stem cell research. Trust me when I say that nothing would delight me and many of my colleagues more; if only this was true! I’m afraid we are being a bit premature in declaring victory. I don’t mean to rain on the parade but we must resist the temptation to become complacent. Yes, we have won a major battle with the discovery that ordinary body cells can be reprogrammed to become embryonic-like stem cells that possess many of the same properties lauded by embryonic stem cell researchers.

If we recall, the announcement of the discovery that cells found in amniotic fluid also showed pleuri-potency did not deter our opponents in the least. I am convinced that the stem cell war still rages on and many battles are yet to be fought. We must remain mindful that many of those very same researchers and politicians who have aggressively promoted experimentation of human embryos still view them as simple scientific commodities, not as new life with inherent value. These scientists and politicians remain committed and expect that no doors be closed. They continue to demand absolute freedom to pursue all avenues of research; i.e. embryonic stem cell research and human cloning. All we have to do is take note of the many disturbing comments which are appearing daily ever since the initial announcement of cell reprogramming. The following represent only a sampling:

Advance Cell Technology’s Dr Lanza said he was alarmed at Dr. Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep, that he would discontinue his attempt to clone a human being and that he [Lanza] worried that the new studies would drown out ‘other’ stem cell research. Lanza went on to assure the scientific community that he would continue his efforts to extract stem cells from embryos.

Dr. Caplan, when interviewed by MSNBC, said, “It is a bit early to stop working on cloning as a technique to obtain stem cells.” Dr. James Thomson, one of the two scientists responsible for the discovery of cellular reprogramming, agrees with Caplan in that it is too early to give up on the study of embryonic stem cells. Thomson says, “What I hope won’t happen is that everyone says, ‘See! We don’t have to study embryonic stem cells now.’” He goes on to say that the scientific breakthrough of cell reprogramming is a direct result of information obtained through the experimentation on embryonic stem cells.

Dr. George Daley of Harvard Institute states that it is not clear how long it will take to get around some of the concerns surrounding reprogramming and therefore he plans to pursue both reprogramming and cloning strategies. Daley, with a flavor of arrogance that seems to be boasting, said, “We’ll see, ultimately, which one works and which one is most practical.”

Congressional lawmakers have made it perfectly clear that they are not about to give up their fight to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research and cloning. Representative Diana DeGette, a key sponsor of legislation to expand embryonic stem cell research and cloning, recently told Associated Press “That issue [embryonic stem cell research and cloning] is not going away.” Senator Tom Harkin, also a leading promoter of unethical research, agrees with DeGette. “Scientists may yet find that embryonic stem cells are more powerful,” he said. “We have to continue to pursue all alternatives as we search for treatments.”

Rather than shake our heads in disbelief of this unwavering support for embryo-killing science, we must realize that embryonic stem cells and cloning still represent the potential of a tremendous financial windfall. Consequently, biotechnology and that select group of disingenuous politicians are not about to surrender. It is critical that we remain diligent in our aggressive pursuit of finding cures using non-embryonic stem cells and our opposition to embryonic stem cell research and cloning. Time will reveal just how big a battle was won with cell reprogramming. In the meantime “Steady as we go and stay the course.”

Stem cell saturday

Lots of great articles to peruse today.

Michael Cook at Mercatornet engages in a little good-natured, “I told you so!” and points to the new danger we face, transhumanism.

Wesley Smith comments on a WaPo article by Michael Gerson – highlighting Gerson’s conclusion that not all will accept this new breakthrough as the right way to go, particularly those who have vested interests in and/or are, for whatever other reasons, ideologically committed to embryonic stem cell research.

John Henry Weston, Editor of LifeNews added a note with his daily dispatch pointing out possible concerns about iPSC:

Dr. John Shea, medical advisor to Campaign Life Coalition told LifeSiteNews.com yesterday, “Yamanaka’s work, essentially somatic cell genetic engineering, is a very complex subject. The issue is whether the pluripotent stem cells created by the technique will always remain merely stem cells and cannot become embryos.”

However, Fr. Berg has already addressed this concern (also brought up in the Mercatornet article):

Never at any point in the process of reprogramming is there ever a danger of involving — even accidentally we might say–techniques that could bring about a human embryo, as would happen in cloning.”

Happy reading!

A day late and a dollar short?

All the fantastic news about induced pluripotent stem cell breakthroughs has had me wondering if this blog should be nominated for an award. I think we could qualify for: Worst Timed Blog Ever! Yeah, a month or so into blogging and the need for “adult stem cell awareness” has just become superfluous. But is that really true? No, it’s not true. This commentary sent in from Bill Schneeberger helps clarify the continuing need for ongoing “adult stem cell  awareness” initiatives:

Why have we not seen an article that references the expertise of adult stem cell researchers in the mainstream media. This is unbelievable! I have met, spoken with,  and shared a glass of wine with actual patients whose lives have been saved because of adult stem cell research. Not one of these patients’ stories (to my knowledge) has come out in the past few days.

Adult Stem Cell Research is not just about saving embryos. It is also about born persons being cured yesterday, today and tomorrow from real adult stem cell therapy.

It is critical that we spread the word so this life saving therapy is available to everyone. I just spoke to a wine customer of mine who been told that he has congestive heart failure. And guess what? He needs to be told of the benefits available to him – adult stem cell therapy.

The news from the past few days is wonderful but it is only the first step in a long journey to get the truth out.

Thanks Bill – I needed to be reminded. Back to work we go.