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CBC - Ottawa Last Updated - Oct 2 2002 09:35 AM CDT Conference aims to build support for stem cell research OTTAWA - Doctors and researchers will tackle the controversial issue of stem cell research at a conference in Ottawa. They'll discuss how the research can be used in organ and tissue transplants. The issue of using embryonic tissue for stem cell research has raised fierce opposition from people who consider the embryo to be a human life form. Conference presenter Dr. Penny Johnson says stem cell research has been unfairly demonized. Johnson works for a bio-tech company in Britain aiming to use stem cells to grow organs. She says the low rate of organ and tissue donation makes stem cell research all the more important. "Realistically we will never fill the need and there are certain sectors of society that will never be as fortunate simply because they come from ethnic minorities where the pool of possible donors is so small," Johnson says. "They're as entitled to the same possibilities as everybody else." The ability to use stem cells to grow organs in the body is still a long way off. However, governments must start supporting the research now, to ensure it becomes a reality, Johnson says. The conference is being hosted by the Kidney Foundation of Canada. SOURCE: CBC http://ottawa.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=stem021002 * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn