| From: The Pro-Life Infonet <infonet@prolifeinfo.org> Reply-To: Steven Ertelt <infonet@prolifeinfo.org> Subject: New Study Shows Dangers of Embryonic Stem Cell Cloning Source: Associated Press, Reuters, Family Research Council; July 6, 2001 New Study Shows Dangers of Embryonic Stem Cell Cloning Washington, DC -- A new study published in the journal Science today reports that embryonic stem cells used in cloning mice often result in severe abnormalities, a finding that strengthens the belief of many scientists that the technique used to clone Dolly the sheep should not be used on humans. ``This study confirms the suspicions of many of us that cloning of humans would be really dangerous,'' said Rudolf Jaenisch, senior author of the study and a researcher at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cloned mice created with embryonic stem cells may look normal but often have subtle abnormalities, scientists reported on Thursday. The finding could lend support to those pro-life people who oppose embryonic stem cell research. In cloned humans, Jaenisch said the gene expression flaws could affect personality, intelligence and other human attributes. "The simplistic warning is clearly you can make cloned animals with problems (with embryonic stem cells); whether this will apply to other donor cell types remains to be seen," David Humphreys of the Whitehead Institute said. Researchers found that these cells might carry unexpected risks when used to reproduce organisms -- like cloned mice. Stem cells are early cells not yet specifically earmarked to become any one part of the body, so they can develop into most any kind of cell the body needs, and as a result can be used in so-called reproductive cloning. Many of the cloned mice created in research at the Whitehead Institute and the University of Hawaii developed abnormally, even though they made it through pregnancy, birth and in some cases to adulthood. The problem did not lie in the cloning process, but rather in the makeup of the embryonic stem cells, which were found to be extremely unstable in laboratory cultures. The genes themselves were not at fault. However, the embryonic stem cells lost the tags that were supposed to tell the genes whether to turn on or off during development, the researchers found. This meant that two mice cloned from the "sister" embryonic stem cells might have differences in the way their genes were expressed. Dr. David A. Prentice, an Indiana State University professor of life sciences, said the MIT-Whitehead study shows the hazards of the current cloning technology. ``Development is a finely orchestrated ballet of cells forming tissues and organs at the right place and time,'' said Prentice. ``It takes only one going awry at the wrong time and place to have a seriously flawed individual.'' The results of the recent study, conducted by the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, echo the dangers posed by non-cloning embryonic stem cell research. In a June 14 letter to President Bush, Family Research Council president Ken Connor warned of the hazards of stem cell research: "Unchecked cell growth is a significant issue in embryonic stem cell research as well (as in fetal tissue research). As a consequence, some researchers are concluding that tissue-specific stem cells harvested from adult sources may prove to be a far more effective mode of treatment than pluripotent stem cells harvested from human embryos. As University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Glenn McGee was quoted in the January-February issue of Technology Review, 'The emerging truth in the lab is that pluripotent stem cells are hard to rein in. The potential that they would explode into a cancerous mass after a stem cell transplant might turn out to be the Pandora's Box of stem cell research." "The study concerning cloning and embryonic stem cell research is further evidence that the government should only support research that is ethical and shows the most promise, such as adult stem cell research. Human embryonic stem cell research does not fit this bill," Ken Connor said. "We urge the president to remain true to his pledge to oppose federal funding of research that involves the destruction of an embryonic human being." -- The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to: infonet-request@prolifeinfo.org. Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org). For more pro-life info visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org and for questions or additional information email ertelt@prolifeinfo.org |