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April 06, 2007 Volume 07, Issue 04-01
Portrait of Hope
Spotlight:
Embryonic Stem Cells:
My History, so far:
The first embryonic stem cells were isolated in mice in 1981. But it wasn't
until 1998 that researchers managed to derive stem cells from human embryos.
That kicked into full gear an ethical debate that continues to this day. Here's
a look at key moments in the controversy so far:
1981: Embryonic stem cells are first isolated in mice by two groups - Gail
Martin at the University of California, San Francisco, and Martin Evans, then
with the University of Cambridge (he's now at the University of Cardiff).
November 1995: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin isolate the first
embryonic stem cells in primates - rhesus macaque monkeys. The research shows
it's possible to derive embryonic stem cells from primates, including humans.
Nov. 5, 1998: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins
University report isolating human embryonic stem cells. The cells have the
potential to become any type of cell in the body and might one day be used to
replace damaged or cancerous cells. But the process is controversial: One team
derived their stem cells from the tissue of aborted fetuses; the other from
embryos created in the laboratory for couples seeking to get pregnant by in
vitro fertilization. (MORE: 'Scientists Report Breakthrough in Embryonic Stem
Cells')
Aug. 23, 2000: The National Institutes of Health issue guidelines that allow
federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. Former President Bill Clinton
supports the guidelines.
February 2001: The month after taking office, President George W. Bush
requests a review of the NIH funding guidelines and puts a hold on federal
funds for stem-cell research.
July 18, 2001: Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), a vocal
abortion opponent, call for limited federal funding for stem-cell research.
July 29, 2001: House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and other Republican House
leaders come out in opposition to federal funding for research.
Aug. 9, 2001: President Bush announces his decision to limit funding to a few
dozen lines of embryonic stem cells in existence at that date. Many of the
approved lines later prove to be contaminated, and some contain genetic
mutations, making them unsuitable for research. (MORE: 'Bush Limits Funding for
Stem-Cell Research')
Nov. 25, 2001: Scientists at Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts claim
to have cloned a human embryo. However, the evidence proves controversial and
not conclusive.
Feb. 12, 2004: South Korean scientists announce the world's first
successfully cloned human embryo. Unlike other past cloning claims, the
scientists report their work in a prestigious, peer-reviewed journal, Science.
The embryos were cloned not for reproductive purposes but as a source of stem
cells. The news reopens the contentious debate over somatic-cell nuclear
transfer, which is sometimes referred to as therapeutic cloning. Scientists say
cloning offers a unique way to produce cells that may someday be used to treat
diseases. But critics argue that any form of cloning is morally repugnant and
should be banned. (MORE: 'Scientists Succeed in Cloning Human Embryo')
June 25, 2004: New Jersey legislators pass a state budget that includes $9.5
million for a newly chartered Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The move makes
New Jersey the first state to fund research on stem cells, including those
derived from human embryos. (MORE: 'New Jersey to Fund State Research on Stem
Cells')
Nov. 2, 2004: California voters approve Proposition 71, which authorizes the
state to spend $3 billion on embryonic stem-cell research over 10 years. The
measure is a response to federal funding restrictions put into place in 2001.
It puts California ahead of the federal government and many other nations in
promoting the research.
May 19, 2005: The same South Korean researchers who reported cloning a human
embryo in 2004 announce another milestone: They say they've created a
streamlined process that uses far fewer human eggs to produce usable embryonic
stem cells - a major step toward mass production. Their work is published in
Science. (MORE: 'Researchers Report Advance in Stem Cell Production')
May 24, 2005: The House passes a bill that would ease President Bush's
restrictions on federal funding for stem-cell research.
May 26, 2005: A version of the bill passed in the House is introduced in the
Senate. Among Senate sponsors of the bill are two prominent Republicans, Sen.
Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. Their support comes
despite President Bush's promise to veto any legislation lifting the
restrictions on funding he put in place on Aug. 9, 2001.
May 31, 2005: Connecticut approves $100 million in funding for adult and
embryonic stem-cell research over the next 10 years.
July 13, 2005: Bypassing the Illinois state legislature, Democratic Gov. Rod
Blagojevich creates a stem-cell research institute by executive order. The
institute will be funded through a line item in the state budget that gives the
Public Health Department $10 million to fund research.
June 15, 2005: Gov. M. Jodi Rell signs a public act that permits stem-cell
research and bans human cloning. The act appropriates $20 million for
conducting embryonic or human adult stem-cell research.
July 29, 2005: In defiance of President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist (R-TN) announces his support of legislation to ease federal funding
restrictions for stem-cell research.
Sept. 19, 2005: Scientists in California report that injecting human neural
stem cells appeared to repair spinal cords in mice. The therapy helped
partially paralyzed mice walk again. (MORE: 'Research Finds Stem Cells Aid in
Spinal Cord Repair')
Sept. 21, 2005: Advocates of embryonic stem-cell research in Florida propose
a ballot initiative that would give $200 million in state funds toward the
research over the next decade. Two days later, opponents of the science file a
petition to amend Florida's state constitution to ban state funding for
embryonic stem-cell research.
Nov. 11, 2005: University of Pittsburgh researcher Gerald Schatten alerts
editors at the journal Science that there may have been ethical lapses in a
landmark cloning paper published in February 2004. In that paper, South Korean
scientists claimed they had made an embryonic stem-cell line from a cloned
human embryo. Schatten alleged that some of the egg donors in that study had
been paid, and some were junior colleagues of the lead author, Hwang Woo Suk.
Schatten also says there were minor technical errors in one of the tables in a
2005 paper by the same group, a paper on which Schatten was senior author. In
that paper, Hwang et. al. claimed to have made 11 cloned stem-cell lines. At
the same time, Schatten severs his collaboration with the South Korean
scientists.
Dec. 15, 2005: Hwang admits that there are serious errors in his 2005 paper
in Science and asks the journal to retract it. The admission comes three weeks
after Hwang apologized for ethical lapses and stepped down as head of the
stem-cell program at Seoul National University. (MORE: 'Top Stem-Cell
Researcher Resigns After Ethical Lapse')
Dec. 16, 2005: New Jersey becomes the first state to finance human embryonic
stem-cell research. The state's Commission on Science and Technology awards $5
million to research teams throughout the New Jersey.
Dec. 29, 2005: The Seoul National University investigation concludes all of
the data was fabricated in the 2005 paper that Hwang's team published in
Science. (MORE: 'Seoul University Debunks Stem-Cell Paper')
Jan. 10, 2006: The Seoul National University investigation concludes that the
landmark 2004 paper was fabricated as well. Two days later, Science formally
retracts both Hwang papers. (MORE: 'Earlier Work by S. Korean Scientist Also
Fraudulent')
April 6, 2006: Gov. Robert Ehrlich signs the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act,
which allocates $15 million for embryonic stem-cell research grants.
May 12, 2006: South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk is charged with fraud,
embezzlement and violating the country's laws on bioethics. He faces up to 13
years in prison. In 2004, Hwang and his research team claimed they had created
the world's first cloned embryos and extracted stem cells from them. An
investigation concluded the research was fabricated.
July 2006: The Senate considers a bill that expands federal funding of
embryonic stem-cell research. The House passed its version of the bill in 2005.
July 19, 2006: President Bush vetoes the bill - the first use of his veto
power in his presidency. (MORE: 'Bush Vetoes Bill to Expand Stem-Cell Research')
Aug. 23, 2006: Scientists unveil a new technique they claim could break the
political deadlock over human embryonic stem cells. Researchers with the
company Advanced Cell Technology say it's possible to remove a cell from an
embryo without harming the embryo and then grow the cell in a lab dish. That
single cell ccould then be used to derive embryonic stem cells. (MORE: 'Firm
Creates Stem Cells Without Hurting Embryos')
Nov. 7, 2006: Missouri voters back a constitutional amendment that safeguards
embryonic stem-cell research in the state. Missouri's legislature had been
trying to ban such research in the state. (MORE: 'Missouri Backs Stem Cells')
Jan. 7, 2006: Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University
report that stem cells drawn from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold
much the same promise as embryonic stem cells. They reported they were able to
extract the stem cells from the fluid, which cushions babies in the womb,
without harm to mother or fetus and turn their discovery into several different
tissue cell types, including brain, liver and bone.
Jan. 11, 2007: The House of Representatives is expected to pass a bill that
would expand federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, but the bill
won't carry enough votes to override a threatened presidential veto. Both the
House and the Senate passed the same legislation last year, with President Bush
vetoing the bill.
Feb. 28, 2007: Iowa's Gov. Chet Culver signs legislation easing limits on
types of stem-cell research in Iowa. The new legislation allows medical
researchers to create embryonic stem cells through cloning. While allowing for
further research, it prohibits reproductive cloning of humans.
March 16, 2007: After approving nearly $45 million for embryonic stem-cell
research in February 2007, California's stem cell agency authorizes another
$75.7 million to fund established scientists at 12 non-profit and academic
institutions.
Reporting by Maria Godoy, Joe Palca, and Beth Novey.
Dear SCAN Members,
Want to change history?
This week StemFacts will honor "embryonic stem cells" as our "Portrait of
Hope", instead of selecting one of us, someone who may be a beneficiary of
research into regenerative medicine. Following the graphic on the left, the
relatively brief history of research into these cells ( compiled by NPR) is
presented. One year from now, I wonder what facts we will be able to add to
that list: breakthroughs and human clinical trials for diseases that now are
considered untreatable?
We cannot predict the future of course, but it's a pretty good bet that if
more money is spent on research, the story will unfold more quickly, knowledge
will accrue, treatments will follow. Next Wednesday, according to the best
sources, the U.S, Senate will again vote on the "Stem Cell Research and
Enhancement Bill" (S. 5), the same bill that passed last year and was vetoed by
President Bush. If it can get 67 votes (last time we had 63) that can override
the expected veto. We think we are very close.
Here's a chance to play a role in the stem cell story. Please write to your
Senator to communicate your wishes; more importantly, ask ten members of your
friends and family to do the same. To do this easily, go to the SCAN website,
http://www.stemcellaction.org/ and send a letter. Just a few clicks can make a
difference.
Thank you,
Idelle Datlof,
Executive Director
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