pretending pretensions mk2

Once again for journalism. once again only pretending to have an opinion
When exactly is fully developed?

Few subjects have attracted as much controversy as the development of stem cell research. There are a huge number of issues surrounding it, be they political, religious ethical or medical. Although on the surface it may seem like essentially all the same issues that accompany abortion, i.e. pro lifers defending the rights of embryos, angrily declaring that they have all the rights of a normal human, the reality is far more complex.

The main problem is that the arguments rarely keep up with the technological breakthroughs that are being made. Few people have a well grounded understanding as to what stem cell research actually entails. The reason why Stem cell research is such a highly debated subject is the public perception of it. It is seen as creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it, subverting the natural order.

For understanding this, it is important that we understand what exactly a stem cell is. Stem cells are cells that can, with correct hormone signals and chemical stimulation can proliferate into any kind of cell. And in turn, an organ is a collection of one type of cell. So, in effect, stem cells can be grown into any part of a human body.

There are two main types of stem cell, adult and embryonic. Adult stem cells can be used to repair and maintain damaged tissues. Also like Embryonic stem cells they can differentiate into different cell types. However their ability to do this is limited, and often restricted to one type or line. By contrast Embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any cell line, giving them a far wider range of applications

Less controversial sources of stem cells can be located in an individual’s bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood. Problems do exist with these, few people wish to donate their bone marrow due to the great pain caused by its extraction, and only a relatively small quantity of cells can be extracted from umbilical cords and amniotic fluids. Scientists have also made limited progress in the reverse engineering of Embryonic stem cells from everyday normal somatic cells that are found within you and me. If they succeed then public opinion could swing rapidly. After all, almost no one criticises blood donning.


Religious qualms, particularly in the catholic faith, centre around the idea that man is trying to play god through such pursuits. Recently The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Catholic Doctrine, issued "The Dignity of a Person" to help answer bioethical questions that have emerged in the two decades since its last such document was published.

The new document clearly and concisely states it’s condemnation of embryonic stem cell research and in vitro fertilization. Yet it does allow for some use of vaccines derived from stem cell lines and some forms of gene therapy. While a cynic like myself might wonder if this is to combat the so called “gay genes,” it does reflect the growing trend for gradual acceptance for such research.

Conversely though, Islam adopts a very different view. Sharî'ah law currently permits married couples to have in vitro fertilization provided the egg and sperm do not come from donors. Also, a distinction is made between “potential life” and “actual life,” namely that actual life begins at roughly 40 days of conception. Some experts, such as Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi claim that because of this, stem cell research is permissible within the Islamic faith. However, he also has views about its strict regulation. “The use of embryonic stem cells should be very heavily limited. Only allow isolation of stem cells from frozen embryos that were created for the purpose of in vitro fertilization and would otherwise have been destroyed. Obtain full consent from the donors. Provide safeguards against monetary compensation to embryo donors and against the creation of embryos in excess of what is required for in vitro fertilization”

One other issue surrounding stem cell research is that many see it as a precursor to human cloning. Research has already been conducted into creating embryonic stem cells via early developmental cloning and with Dolly the sheep we even had a live example of a successful cloning technique. Basically the point is that they have a cyclical effect upon each other, and that increased application of one will result in increased application of the other. It’s a side of the debate that rarely gets examined, but a hugely important one none the less.

We are told that the medical benefits of stem cell research are staggering, capable of curing seemingly every disease known to man, from cancer to hair loss. But is it really the miracle cure that we have been promised. Sceptics say that embryonic stem cells often have a high chance of being rejected by the host’s immune system, in the same way that organ transplants fail. But animal testing has given positive results, with dogs being effectively treated for brain tumours via the injection of adult stem cells. Though you may not realise it, there have already been several successful human applications of stem, cell research, such as bone marrow transplants.

In America there are a number of stem cell lines available, yet President Bush has repeatedly vetoed bills proposing the creation and funding of new lines and limited funding to existing lines. The E.U is heavily divided on the issue as well, with research being non permissible in a number of countries like Austria, Denmark, France and Germany.

Britain has had a slightly more comfortable history with stem cell research than America and other European countries. In 2002 The UK stem cell bank was founded at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) with the aim of housing and developing stem cell lines. NIBSC is a publicly-funded scientific organisation whose function is to assess the quality and safety of biological medicines such as vaccines and blood products.

Scotland itself now has its own base of stem cell research. The Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM), at the University of Edinburgh is one of the leading proponents in the research and application of stem cell research. Construction is
currently underway for a new centre of research in Little France. The £59M building has received substantial funding from the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise. It would be a reasonable assumption to think that this will see further support by the Scottish executive of such research, as well as shifting international focus towards Scotland itself, though unsurprisingly Alex Salmond is keeping very quiet on the issue.

You may be interested to know that the vast majority of patents for human embryonic stem cell research belongs to just one organisation, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) And the interesting thing about WARF is that while they freely allow academic study of stem cell research, for any sort of commercial use there is a charge. Very recently though, the legality of their patenting has come under challenge, and should any legal dispute go badly for them, then we could see a rapid increase in the commercial use of stem cells.

In fact, if you want an example of a country that has successfully applied stem cell research then look to China. The majority of its stem cell lines have been harvested from the umbilical cord blood of live births, again sidestepping controversy. Treatments are readily available for such diseases as multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, and many medical tourists enter the country to take advantage of this.

Like it or not, it seems further research into the field of both adult and embryonic stem cells is inevitable. Perhaps the ethical issues will neatly resolve themselves as different methods of acquiring stem cells are discovered, or maybe a very blurred line between right and wrong will come about. Only in the fullness of time will we see if the medical results cause any great social change.