Dead stem cells into live tissue
Scientists working at a British laboratory have
achieved one of the most controversial breakthroughs ever made in the field of
stem cell science by taking cells from dead embryos and turning them into living
tissue.
Scientists working at a British laboratory have achieved one of the most controversial breakthroughs ever made in the field of stem cell science by taking cells from dead embryos and turning them into living tissue.
The technique could soon be used to create treatments for patients suffering from diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, the researchers say. The breakthrough has been hailed by many scientists and ethical experts because it could circumvent opposition to stem cell experiments.
‘This should get round opposition to stem cell science because live embryos will no longer need to be used in all experiments,’ said Professor Miodrag Stojkovic, the researcher who carried out the experiments at the Centre for Stem Cell Biology at Newcastle University last year.
That’s what he thinks. Wanna bet?
Last night right-to-life campaigners called for caution. ‘In theory if an embryo is obtained ethically and a stem cell can be derived after that embryo has died naturally, then that will remove all ethical objections as there is no destruction of a living organism,’ said Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, a Catholic campaign group. ‘We do not have objections to the use of donated tissue and organs in other areas of medicine.’
But Quintavalle warned that the case for the use of dead embryo cells had not been proved. ‘There is the critical question of how you know when an embryo is dead or not.’
The superstitious always get stuck in to their reliance on “belief” and “morality” that arises from books written by even more superstitious folk a millenium or two ago. Modern science is perfectly capable of relying upon ethical systems within the context of modern knowledge.
Please notice that I said “knowledge” — not “politics”.
Posted: Sun - September 24, 2006 at 09:44 AM