on Obtaining Embryonic Stem Cells without Destroying Embryos June 8, 2007 Obtaining pluripotent stem cells through cellular reprogramming raises none of the moral difficulties associated with obtaining such stem cells by destroying human embryos. In the process of reprogramming, the pluripotent state is conferred on a body cell, such as a skin cell, after removal from a patient. This reprogramming to a pluripotent state establishes a stem cell line compatible with an individual patient. The new research has shown that the reprogramming of cells can be accomplished in mice through the insertion of four genes into the original target cell. If, as expected, this same technique can ultimately be utilized in humans, researchers may eventually be able to obtain pluripotent stem cells suitable for use in patient treatments without the creation and destruction of human embryos. Indeed, this approach would be far easier than the complex and misnamed "therapeutic" cloning, thus making reprogramming the preferred approach even from a purely practical standpoint. Given the political efforts now underway to provide federal funding for research that will destroy human embryos in order to obtain embryonic stem cells, this discovery represents a major breakthrough on the moral front that could help resolve the serious concerns that many have had concerning embryonic stem cell research. We believe that this is the long-awaited way forward that many scientists thought would eventually arrive, if only we were patient. We can, of course, continue to expect scientists, researchers, and politicians to say that they still need to destroy human embryos in order to make progress in regenerative medicine. These reprogramming successes, nonetheless, provide a way to achieve important scientific aims that will be acceptable to all citizens and---if properly appreciated---could lead in a new direction, away from the divisive and bitter debates that have consumed so much of our recent politics. |
