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Keep options open on stem cells Originally posted on November 23, 2007 There's good news from the stem-cell research front, but it's already being politicized - as expected. Too bad. The lesson from the latest breakthrough is not that one side wins and the other loses in the religious quarrel over embryonic stem cells. It's that we should keep all our options open. That's good science. Scientists reported this week that they have been able to make ordinary human skin cells act like stem cells, the ability of which to develop into a wide variety of tissues has given rise to so much hope for the treatment of degenerative diseases. The use of skin or other tissues to develop stem cells could avoid the thicket of ethical and political problems in the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos. More importantly, it may simply increase the scientific options. President Bush and pro-life religious conservatives have tried to discourage embryonic stem research in favor of adult cells, believing that killing embryos for such purposes is immoral. They are now claiming that their pressure has borne fruit. Perhaps. But the skin cell breakthrough is based on embryonic research. One of the authors of the skin cell studies is James A. Thompson of the University of Wisconsin, a pioneer embryonic stem cell researcher. Stem cells from whatever source still offer great hope for generating replacement tissues to deal with a wide range of diseases, including Parkinson's and diabetes. We should pursue this research on all fronts. Non-embryonic cells may prove the better source of stem cells, but let them happen as the result of free science, not as the result of religious and political meddling. It would be an ironic shame if we let the those opposed to using embryonic stem cells on religious grounds employ a scientific breakthrough to impede science. Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn