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Scientists look ahead to stem cell research future
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Researchers from across the globe gathered at the World Stem Cell Summit Monday in Madison, stressing the need for further clinical trials funded by the federal government.
Mice and fruit flies have been used extensively in preliminary studies to make sure the new form of regenitive medicine is safe for human trials.
Larry Goldstein, professor of cellular medicine at the University of California-San Diego, reminded the diverse group of attendees that Alzheimer’s or Lou Gehrig’s disease in mice is not identical to the disease in humans.
“We have studied for many years animal versions of Alzheimer’s disease, but the problem at the end of the day is that humans are not just big mice,” Goldstein said.
There are serious concerns about the safety of the therapy in humans, including a possible risk of cancer or immune system response.
“The first clinical trials are not meant to cure the patient,” said John Wagner, University of Minnesota pediatrics professor. “The first clinical trials are directed toward verifying the safety of the therapy we’re employing.”
In clinical trials, researchers will have to determine the maximum dose of cells that can be tolerated, where and how they ought to be delivered and any adverse side affects.
Even before that, some more trials with animals will need to be done, Wagner said.
“We don’t have the best animal models,” Wagner said. “[We need] animal models that will reliably provide what kind of risk there will be.”
Presenters also discussed the importance of using both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells.
But University of Wisconsin anatomy professor James Thomson, who was the first researcher to isolate embryonic stem cells in 1998, said though cell replacement therapy may be the “sexy” result of research, it may not be the primary result of it.
Thomson said he believes if blood cells can be made cheap enough, they will one day replace transfusion as the primary source of blood replacement.
He also explained that clinical research could lead to the discovery of what causes many diseases.
“I wouldn’t be extremely shocked if over my scientific career, scientists find out what causes Parkinson’s to work at preventing it,” Thomson said.
Participants in the panel also discussed possible roadblocks to clinical research. Goldstein said the answer to that question is always money.
There has been a decline in federal research funding across the board. Goldstein called the lack of funding “absolutely disastrous” and said despite tough economic times the funding needs to be continued.
“The temptation is to say ‘Well, we should just cut spending on everything,’” Goldstein said. “But the fact is that as a proportion of what we invest our national capital in, scientific research is a tiny fraction, yet it reaps enormous benefits and is in fact an investment.”
Thomson said, “Scientists are notoriously bad for producing timelines.”
“We just need to roll up our sleeves and do a great deal of work here,” Thomson said. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”
The summit continues today with a panel featuring former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
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I THINK STEM CELL RESEARCH IS WRONG AND SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Should have known, THE WHITE COATS would figure out how to continue torturing helpless, imprisoned animals for their blanking so-called research. Keep your bloody hands off the animals you disgusting dirt bags - legalized animal abusers.
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Currently Geron Corporation is awaiting FDA approval for a Phase I trial for the repair of spinal chord injury using cells derived from human ESC’s. After testing the cells in more than 2,500 rats and submitting nore tha 22,000 pages of data, the largest submittal in FDA history the company expect an approval to proceed before the year is out. A new age of regenerative medicine is about to commence, despite the efforts of this administration that has done everything it can to block this progress in reducing human suffering. With a new Democratic administration we will get a re-energized research program that will put people once again ahead of dogma.
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Hi
WOW! I am glad I found this website!
Hi Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is an alternative methods for studying diseases that are more robust and better simulate how the disease develops in humans. The concerns expressed regarding chimerism may be a bit strong. Technological improvements with traditional ES cell microinjections have resulted in embryos which are 100% derived from the donor, not receipient, cells. Thus the first mice born are true clones of the source ES cells. Thanks!