Controversy obscures stem cell options 

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
 

We have all heard a great deal about embryonic stem cell research lately.
Advocates from the late Christopher Reeve to Michael J. Fox and Ron Reagan
Jr. have championed its potential, and the issue garnered significant
attention in the campaign for the White House. If you have been following
this debate, you might think that embryonic stem cells will cure diseases
such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's in the very near future. 

They will not.

There is no denying the potential of embryonic stem cell research. The
problem, however, is that there are no current clinical applications for
embryonic stem cells. To put it in simple terms: We just aren't to the point
where we can save lives - and it may be another 15 or 20 years before
embryonic stem cells yield any clinical benefits.
Fortunately, there is another stem cell option: umbilical cord blood stem
cells. Like embryonic stem cells, these are very young stem cells with great
elasticity.
The big differences between these two types is that 1) cord blood, or
newborn, stem cells are saving thousands of lives today, and 2) They do not
engender the ethical debates that ensue with embryonic stem cells.
UCB stem cells are found in the umbilical cords of newborn babies. They are
almost always discarded at birth as medical waste - as medical practice. In
fact, of the 4 million births per year in this country, only 2 percent of
newborn stem cells are saved or banked.
To date, there have been 4,000 successful newborn stem cell transplants,
treating such diseases as leukemia and sickle cell anemia. And using UCB
stem cells is actually safer and more effective than using donated bone
marrow as the source for the cells.
You do not need an exact match, as you do with the bone marrow. And there is
no painful retrieval process for the donor, as there is with bone marrow.
In addition to bone marrow, there is still another option for obtaining stem
cells - the adult bloodstream. These stem cells can be "harvested" and used
to save lives today. They are currently being used to repair the damaged
cardiac muscle found in patients with congestive heart failure or recent
heart attacks.
The problem with these stem cells, as well as with bone marrow stem cells,
is that they are "old" and not as pliable as the younger stem cells found in
umbilical cord blood.
So why are 98 percent of all cord blood stem cells thrown away? Sadly, few
people know about this powerful medical tool. The giant spotlight cast on
the embryonic stem cell debate is a piece of the problem, but, more
importantly, the resources required to educate the general public and
conduct further research have not been made available.
Education is critical. Pregnant women and their families need to be made
aware of the option to save their newborn stem cells. While many doctors,
such as myself, give patients information about UCB stem cells so that they
can make an informed decision about whether banking or donating their
newborn stem cells is the right decision for their family, it is not enough.

Federal funding should be allocated for a broad public education campaign.
Additionally, we need to fund umbilical cord blood stem cell research.
Failing to do so would be tantamount to sacrificing lives that could be
saved today with current clinical application of UCB stem cells, rather than
potential lives saved in 15-plus years from the use of embryonic stem cells.
Clearly, available resources for stem cell research and education are
limited. While I am not suggesting that work with UCB stem cells should get
all the available funds, it has to be a higher priority than it is
currently.
There are many exciting medical advances on the horizon, some of which carry
tremendous potential for improving the long term health of the human race. 
We just cannot afford to get too caught up in what lies ahead at the expense
of the treatments, such as the use of newborn stem cells, that can save
lives today.
- Special to the Press Herald




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