Why Stem Cells Are Needed

The debate about embryonic stem cell research is back in the news when senator Frist brought up the issue again. However, many are confused about the utility of stem cells and the fact that there are many different types of stem cells besided embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are cells from embryos, which is where all the ethical issues arise.

However, ones own stem cells can be extracted from their bone marrow and injected into different organs, which begin to differentiate into the organ they are transplanted in. For example, the Texas Heart Institute has begun a clinical trial where they inject patients’ own bone marrow into patients with end stage heart failure secondary. They have found that the patients who had bone marrow transplanted into their damage hearts, they improved from a stage III class heart failure (where one is not able to walk without developing shortness of breath) to class I heart failure (where one is able to walk and do daily activities without shortness of breath).

Furthermore evidence of the success of the transplanted bone marrow cells is that one of the patients who had the stem cell research died of unrelated causes (a seizure) had an autopsy, which showed that the heart damage had recovered in the area where the stem cells were injected. Many heart failure specialist believe that these findings will be revolutionary to the treatment of severe heart failure.

Doctors have known for years that the body has an ability to regenerate itself. This therapy is consistent with this belief. The bottom line is that this therapy works and if the US does not encourage its researchers, patients will go to other countries for the therapy. This is indeed what happened in 1993 when a patient with Fanconi’s anemia flew to France to have his sisters umbilical cord blood transplanted. The patient is still alive and doing well. Umbilical cord blood also is another area with less controversy than embryonic stem cells.

The drug development industry has become stagnant with a threshold reached for new breakthrough drugs.

The benefits of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood is extraordinary and the US scientific community should have all the access possible to advance the field further.