Stem cell research on the rise
Scientific community impacted by recent government reversal
Photo credit: Public Library of Science
In August 2001, then-President George W. Bush banned federal funds being used for embryonic stem cell research. This month, President Barack Obama reversed that ban, opening up a sea of possibilities that could have an impact on courses and research possibilities at San Diego State. The ban reversal was met with enthusiasm from scientists studying stem cells in San Diego.
“It was a major frustration for this type of research,” said Karl Willert, Ph.D., an assistant adjunct professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego and director of UCSD’s Human Embryonic Stem Cell Core Facility. “The ban didn’t protect anyone — it just made life really difficult. Instead of thinking about the science, we were thinking, ‘How can we do this without breaking the law?’”
The original reason for the ban was ethical opposition to the use of cells gleaned from fertilized human embryos, because some people consider fertilization the beginning of human life. Advocates of the use of embryonic stem cells for research, many of whom believe the study of stem cells is the key to treating diseases, say the situation is not so simple.
“Part of the problem with working with human disease is you can’t just experiment any (way) you want to on a human,” Lawrence Goldstein, director of the Stem Cell Research Program at UCSD, said. “So the best way to figure it out is with human tissues cells, materials in the lab that you can work with.”
There are two types of stem cells, classified as embryonic and adult. “Both types of cells have benefits and drawbacks,” Mark Sussman, a biology professor at SDSU and member of the SDSU Heart Institute, said. “Adult stem cells are useful because they are already ‘programmed’ for the type of tissue you’re trying to use it for, and you can get the stem cells directly from the host so there’s no chance of rejection.”
Willert notes, though, that research with both types of cells is important.
“What you learn in one area can help in another,” he said.
The new availability of federal funding will likely affect the classes offered here at SDSU.
“Grants for funding for undergrads will possibly create a stem cell course at SDSU in (the) near future,” Ralph Feuer, an assistant professor of biology, said. “We currently have some lectures here and there in certain classes, but may have an entire course focused on stem cells.”
Research into embryonic stem cells has continued in other countries, and one researcher recently discovered the ability to make regular cells revert to the embryonic stage.
“If the research is restricted here, the big breakthroughs will happen elsewhere,” Willert said. “It’s just not a smart thing to do. If you try to restrict research, you’re going to fall behind.”
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