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Wednesday July 18 12:25 AM ET NIH Advocates Further Stem Cell Research By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With President Bush mulling a ban on federal money for embryonic stem cell research, the agency that funds medical research argues in a report set to be released on Wednesday that further work is needed so the field can realize its full potential. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in an internal report sought by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, reviews the state of research into stem cells -- master cells that scientists hope to harness in fighting a dizzying number of diseases. ``Predicting the future of stem cell applications is impossible, particularly given the very early stage of the science of stem cell biology,'' according to the report, a draft of which was obtained by Reuters. ``To date, it is impossible to predict which stem cells -- those derived from the embryo, the fetus, or the adult -- or which methods of manipulating the cells, will best meet the needs of basic research and clinical applications. The answers clearly lie in conducting more research.'' The report was due to be released at a hearing before a Senate panel on Wednesday. Lana Skirboll, director of the Office of Science Policy at NIH, is scheduled to testify. Others due to appear include: Michael West, president and CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, a Massachusetts biotechnology firm that is moving toward creating cloned human embryos from which stem cells can be derived; and Dr. William Gibbons of the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Virginia, which recruited volunteers to donate eggs and sperm to create embryos specifically for research purposes and not live births. Bush is expected to decide soon whether to allow federal funds to back research into stem cells harvested from human embryos. These primitive cells, which form just days after a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell, can transform into virtually any cell type in the body. OPPOSITION FROM ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVISTS Lawmakers and activists opposed to abortion argue against any research involving the destruction of a human embryo, and suggest that so-called adult stem cells -- found in the bodies of children and adults -- may offer the same promise as the embryonic kind. Many scientists contend that research must be allowed to continue on both embryonic and adult stem cells in order to allow the field to reach its full potential. Researchers hope to use these cells to regenerate tissue and organs damaged by disease, offering the promise of new treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, heart attack and other ailments. ``Current science indicates that although both of these cell types hold enormous promise, adult and embryonic stem cells differ in important ways,'' the NIH said. The agency cited several advantages of embryonic stem cells. ``Current evidence indicates that the capability of adult stem cells to give rise to many different specialized cell types is more limited than that of embryonic stem cells,'' it concluded. The report also questioned whether sufficient supplies of adult stem cells could be created to allow for therapeutic applications, such as using stem cells in transplants to regenerate organs or tissue damaged by disease. NIH noted that ``adult stem cells are rare'' and ``often are difficult to identify, isolate and purify.'' Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, ``can be generated in abundant quantities in the laboratory,'' the report said. ``This report clearly confirms what I have believed and will continue to advocate: We should proceed in supporting both adult stem cell research and embryonic stem cell research -- with appropriate ethical guidelines in place,'' said Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who called the hearing. SOURCE: Yahoo Daily News / Reuters http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20010718/ts/health_stemcell_dc_1.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn