Promise and Peril of Stem Cells J. Kirk Brown Tracy High School

Cloning in the News

What are Stem Cells?

NIH Definitions Stem cells - cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialized cells. Pluripotent -capable of giving rise to most tissues of an organism. Totipotent - having unlimited capability. Totipotent cells have the capacity to specialize into extraembryonic membranes and tissues, the embryo, and all postembryonic tissues and organs.

Totipotent vs. Pluripotent Stem Cells

What are Stem Cells?

Source of Stem Cells ES vs EG lines  Embryonic Stem Cells From IVF embryos  Embryonic Germ Cells From Aborted Fetuses

Major Ethical Issues Two Major Issues: For those who believe that the embryo has the moral status of a person from the moment of conception, research (or any other activity) that would destroy the embryo is considered wrong and should not take place. For those who believe otherwise, arriving at an ethically acceptable policy in this arena involves a complex balancing of a number of important ethical concerns. Although many of the issues remain contested on moral grounds, they co-exist within a broad area of consensus upon which public policy can, at least in part, be constructed. ETHICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH VOLUME I Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission Sept 1999

What about Adult Stem Cells? Some Stem cells live in the body of humans. Most of these cells are called Multipotent (most adult stem cells). They can be induced to become fewer tissues than Pluripotent Stem cells that are derived from Embryos. New research is showing that we can induce adult stem cells to become more pluripotent.

Pluripotent Blood Stem Cells

Umbilical Cord Blood Storage for Pluripotent Stem Cells COMPANYWEBSITE Alpha Cordwww.alphacord.comwww.alphacord.com California Cryobank, Inc. Cord Blood Registrywww.cordblood.comwww.cordblood.com CorCellwww.corcell.comwww.corcell.com CORD,Inc. CordPartnerswww.cordpartners.comwww.cordpartners.com Cryo-Cell Int. Future Health Technologies(UnitedKingdom) GeneAngelwww.geneangel.comwww.geneangel.com Lifebank, Inc. Lifebank Cryogenics Corp.(Canada) New England Cord Blood Bank, inc. Securacell, Inc. Cord Blood Bank (United Kingdom)

Potential Benefits Organ shortage (long term) Tissues for Treatments (shorter term)  Valves, Skin, Nerves for Spinal Cord Injuries  Diabetes (Type 1)

Concerns Stem Cell Sources Limits with Sources Embryo vs Fetus Rights of Fetus Rights of Embryo

Next Steps Educate the Public Read about the Issues Become informed voters California is Leading the U.S.  Proposition 71 provides $3 billion in state funding over next decade S. Korea Gives OK to Stem-Cell Research

Patents PAT. NO. Title  6,258,998 Method of cloning porcine animals  6,265,546 Prostate cancer gene  6,147,276 Quiescent cell populations for nuclear transfer in the production of non-human mammals and non-human mammalian embryos  6,255,112 Regulation of hematopoietic stem cell differentiation by the use of human mesenchymal stem cells 6,271,436 Cells and methods for the generation of transgenic pigs  5,776,679 Assays for the DNA component of human telomerase  6,248,527 Method of detecting risk of type II diabetes based on mutations found in carboxypeptidase E

Bibliography ETHICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH VOLUME I Report and Recommendations of the National Bioethics Advisory Commission National Bioethics Advisory Commission Sept 1999 Berg, Paul Biochem 118 Lecture Stanford University Accessed 1/17/ Human Stem Cell Research Promise and Problems Accessed 1/17/ Accessed 1/17/2005 Picture at the top National Institutue of Health drawn image