Embryonic Stem Cell Research Information

In 1981, researchers derived embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos. By 1998, the study of mouse stem cells had led to the discovery of how to derive embryonic stem cells from human embryos. This breakthrough, in turn, led to exciting avenues of research in the effort to cure chronic diseases but also incited controversy regarding the moral and ethical implications of using embryonic stem cells.

Identification

• A stem cell is an unspecialized cell with the potential to turn into many different types of specialized cells, such as a muscle cell or a blood cell, in a process called differentiation. Adult, or somatic, stem cells develop into particular types; for example, stem cells in the blood become red blood cells or white blood cells. However, embryonic stem cells are obtained from the inner cell mass of an embryo and are pluripotent---that is, they are capable of developing into all cell types, under the right conditions. In 2007, adult stem cells were "induced" to be pluripotent. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), these cells are "genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem-cell-like state."

Origin

• Most embryonic stem cells come from embryos that have been created for in vitro fertilization in fertility clinics and then donated for research with donor consent, according to the NIH. The embryonic stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, which are embryos that are four or five days old. Currently, the embryo is destroyed in the process of deriving its stem cells. If not donated for research, the embryos are also destroyed or may be frozen for future attempts at in vitro fertilization.

Potential

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that embryonic stem cell research could "significantly change our ability to combat diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases." Embryonic stem cells might be able to repair damaged sections of heart or bone or be useful in treating auto-immune diseases such as lupus or AIDS.

Controversy

• The stem cell controversy arises from the debate over whether or not life, or personhood, begins at conception. Those who hold that it does begin at conception believe that destroying embryos to obtain stem cells is murder. But others believe the embryo at the blastocyst stage has only the potential for life and is not yet a person; thus, embryonic stem cell research and application to benefit humanity is worthwhile. Controversy also ignites over the use of federal funding to support embryonic stem cell research. In 2001, President George W. Bush banned federal funds for stem cell research and later allowed very limited funding. In 2009, President Barack Obama lifted the ban on federal funding, stating that the government had "forced a false choice between sound science and moral values."

First Clinical Trials

• In January 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to Geron, a California biotech company, to begin the first trials of embryonic stem cell transplantation in humans. The cells will be implanted into eight to 10 patients with spinal cord injury. According to Geron, the primary goal of the trial will be to assess safety, but other effects, such as sensation in the trunk and legs and improved neuromuscular control, will also be assessed. However, as of October 2009, the trial is "on clinical hold by the FDA pending review of new nonclinical animal study data submitted by the company."