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Fetal stem cells boost brainpower Rat study shows need to continue controversial human research By Charlene Laino OPINION - MSNBC http://www.msnbc.com/news/566735.asp?0si=-&cp1=1 April 30 — Long thought impossible, boosting brainpower with injections of fresh, “smart” cells from embryos or fetuses may someday be a reality, if early work in rats pans out in humans. While the research has the potential to lead to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, it could also be chopped off at its roots — at least in the United States — should politics win out over science. IN THE latest feat to grow out of the controversial research, memory improved in aging rodents given injections of so-called neural stem cells from aborted human fetuses. The work, the first to show that stem cell transplants can enhance cognitive skills, is another important step toward developing a cure for a host of memory-robbing diseases that will plague more and more Americans as baby boomers age. The key: Stem cells, those miraculous cells that give rise to all other cells in our bodies. Transplanting such cells opens the door to growing new brain, bone, cartilage, fat and muscle tissue — in virtually unlimited amounts — to replace diseased parts of the body. The problem: The best source of stem cells is considered to be embryonic and fetal tissue. Not only do these cells have the potential to become any kind of cell in the body, but they also seem to have the ability to survive indefinitely. They are more flexible than adult stem cells. But such stem cells, by definition, must be taken from an embryo or a fetus, usually after an abortion. And that doesn’t sit well with some people. In fact, the U.S. government has already put on hold a plan approved by former President Bill Clinton that would provide federal funds for human embryonic and fetal stem cell research. A bill that would prohibit cloning of human embryos — necessary, say many, to ensure an adequate supply of stem cells — is set for Congressional review. Anti-abortion groups are pushing for an all-out ban on any such research. And there are signs that President George W. Bush may follow their lead. All of which has many U.S. scientists up in arms. “We’d never be where we are if [human fetal] stem cells had been banned,” says Kiminobu Sugaya of the University of Illinois in Chicago, head of the smart rat research. And his is just one of three reports released in the past four days alone. On Thursday, another team reported they had turned embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells that may help cure diabetes. Yet another group said they’d cloned specialized neurons in research directed at a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease. While both of those utilized stem cells from mice, the work’s not going to proceed much further if a human ban goes into effect. http://www.msnbc.com/news/566735.asp?0si=-&cp1=1#BODY ******** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn