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> Subject: NEWS: Embryos created solely for research > From: Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 23:24:22 -0700 Embryos created solely for research By ELIZABETH SIMPSON, The Virginian-Pilot July 10, 2001 In what may be a first, researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical School have created more than 100 human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting stem cells to research their role in treating disease. The experiment -- the results of which are being released today in a journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine -- is significant because previous studies have used excess embryos from frozen storage in fertility clinics. The EVMS Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine study bypassed those channels -- which are already controversial -- by approaching donors and telling them upfront that their eggs and sperm would be used to develop embryos for stem-cell research. The interest in embryonic stem cells centers around their ability to generate all other tissues of the body. Scientists believe that if doctors could learn how to control stem cells, they could possibly cure, or better-treat, such diseases as Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injuries. While the EVMS approach of creating human embryos with donor eggs and sperm addresses some ethical concerns over the use of embryos left over from fertility treatment, it raises a thorny issue of creating embryos, then destroying them, to retrieve the stem cells for the sole purpose of research. It's expected to raise enormous controversy, particularly as President Bush considers whether to approve federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. ``It's still killing a human being,'' said Mary Petchel, president of the Tidewater chapter of the Virginia Society for Human Life. ``We still believe that a human embryo should not be destroyed.'' She said her organization opposes any kind of human embryo research but supports other sorts of research using stem cells retrieved from umbilical cords and placentas. Further, some bioethicists have questioned the idea of creating embryos expressly for research, when excess embryos from fertility clinics already exist and are destined for disposal. But Sean Tipton, public spokesman for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, said the EVMS research impressed the society because of the donor egg and sperm approach and the thorough examination of the ethical issues involved. ``In this kind of study, you don't deal with the concerns raised with using excess embryos in in-vitro fertilizations,'' Tipton said. ``It's cleaner, ethically.'' He said concerns have been raised that women in fertility programs may be unfairly persuaded to donate unused fertilized eggs to please the doctors treating them. The EVMS approach avoids that. Dr. William Gibbons, chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at EVMS, said he can't predict the ethical discussion the study -- which received no federal funds -- will generate. ``With something this controversial, we expect good people of broad backgrounds to disagree,'' he said. Gibbons said the discussion about the ethics of the study dates to 1996, when a Jones Institute ethics committee first examined the idea for the project. That discussion included a two-day conference in which clergy, laypeople and bioethicists from across the country weighed in. After more than a year of study, the committee concluded that ``the creation of embryos for research purposes was justifiable and that it was our duty to provide humankind with the best understanding of early human development.'' Gibbons sat in on those discussions. ``We left satisfied this was justifiable,'' he said. ``This was not something that was conceived in a closet.'' The study likely will fuel the national debate on stem-cell research. Abortion opponents oppose stem-cell research because harvesting the stem cells requires the death of an embryo. The government has banned federal funding of research that would harm, damage or destroy human embryos. The Clinton administration decided in 1999 to allow federally funded researchers to use stem cells from surplus embryos as long as they did not extract the cells themselves. For example, they could receive the cells from privately funded researchers. President Bush will decide whether to reverse the Clinton administration's compromise. He met Tuesday night with bioethicists to sort through the questions of scientific importance and morality of embryonic stem cell research. But beyond that political debate, Gibbons said the EVMS study provides scientific data that could lead to new treatments and cures. EVMS researcher Susan Lanzendorf authored the privately funded study, under the direction of Gary Hodgen, the EVMS scientist who heads the Jones Institute. Part of the reason for using donor eggs and sperm was to capture the cells from the very earliest embryonic stages, which have the best chance of succeeding. The researchers believed they could glean more information about embryo development using that method. They also were able to use donors who were younger and healthier than the typical women seeking fertility treatments, who are often in their later childbearing years. The donors were interviewed by a psychologist to ensure that they knew their eggs and sperm were to be used for stem-cell research rather than to initiate a pregnancy. The Jones Institute study used 162 eggs from 12 donors. Of those, 110 were fertilized. The researchers then developed four to the blastocyst stage, which is a ball of about 140 cells that takes about 4 1/2 days to develop. Those blastocysts were then cultured into three embryonic stem-cell lines. ``The cell lines continued to grow and remain stem cells instead of differentiating into other types of cells,'' said Gibbons, who said that proved that sustainable stem cells could be produced from the embryos. The study began in 1997 and concluded last July. Gibbons said much work remains in figuring out how stem cells can be used in practical applications. ``Clearly this small project is just part of a large overall process by which we hope to one day apply to therapeutic applications. It's one of many, many steps in seeing that process through to conclusion.'' The Washington Post contributed to this story. Reach Elizabeth Simpson at 446-2635 or [log in to unmask] SOURCE: HamptonRoads.com / PilotOnline.com http://www.pilotonline.com/breaking/br0711ste.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn