Posted on 12/02/2004 6:14:15 PM PST by beavus
SCIENTISTS last night claimed to have made a major breakthrough in overcoming opposition to stem cell research by creating human embryos which cannot develop into babies.
The so-called "ethical" embryos have been created by using an enzyme dubbed the "spark of life" which tricks human eggs into believing they have been fertilised even without the presence of sperm.
Stem cells from the embryos can turn into different kinds of tissue and scientists believe that with the right chemical cues they could produce replacement tissue for patients suffering degenerative brain illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease as well as heart damage.
Dr Karl Swann, of the University of Wales College of Medicine in Cardiff, tricked the eggs into dividing by injecting phospholipase C-zeta (PLC-zeta), an enzyme produced by sperm that he discovered two years ago, into an unfertilised female egg.
He said: "It’s the spark of life. It tricks the egg into thinking it has been fertilised."
According to a report in New Scientist magazine, embryos created by the new procedure contain two sets of chromosomes from the mother, but none from the father and so are unable to develop into babies.
Proponents of the new technique say that allays the fears raised by pro-life campaigners opposed to stem cell research.
The tricked eggs divide for four or five days until they reach 50 to 100 cells, which is known as the "blastocyst" stage.
In theory, the blastocysts should yield stem cells which can then be used for scientific research.
Bob Lanza, the head of research at the cloning company Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States, hailed the discovery as a major one.
He said: "This could eliminate one of the main sources of ethical controversy in this research."
But campaigners refused to concede that the new technique paved the way for ethical stem cell research.
Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, a London-based pro-life lobby group, said last night: "I’d be happier if it was beyond all reasonable doubt that it could not become a human life."
Ping.
Thanks for posting this, Beavus.
bump & ping
I think I will have to do some thinking about this. Back at a later date.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but if human life does begin at conception (when the sperm fertilizes the egg) than wouldn't these "ethical embryos" be just that - ethical embryos - since no sperm whatsoever is involved in this process?
Whoa Nelly...is this for real?
Let's assume for the moment that this is ethical (which I don't concede--still pondering).
Why go to all this trouble to produce stem cells from blastocysts when there is plenty of non-embryonic stem cell material available? Umbilical cord stem cells are what have (allegedly) enabled the wheelchair-bound women noted in the press a few days ago to walk.
This is still too Brave-New-World for me. What will it be--women who aren't trying to get pregnant go to egg-donor facilities once a month? Do they have any legal stake in whatever beneficial results come from their egg donations?
Human life? No.
Ethical embryos? That appears to be a stretch.
The phrase "human life does begin at conception" is fraught with misunderstandings.
Enlighten me.
I don't think my Father likes this much...we'll see...
FMCDH(BITS)
It sure is. I consider them to be ethical but they're certainly not embryos, nor are they anything that even remotely resembles an embryo. They're just a clump of cells that do not have even a remote chance of becoming human.
What if one day someone discovers a way to successfully impregnate a woman with an altered umbilical cord stem cell?
Possible Pro-life ping.
If true, important discussions and references to Biblical Guidance and Christian teachings needed.
I already have and rejected it. I recently read somewhere where some scientist proposed the possibility of growing humans without heads so they wouldn't really be people, just body parts.
This would seem to be a step in that direction.
"I consider them to be ethical, but they're certainly not embryos."
Good point. I fell for the wording used by those who've crafted this procedure. If these clumps of cells are not embryos and, therefore have no chance of becoming a human life, then I don't see where there is any problem here.
Beav, I don't think there are any sperm hiding in the umbilical cord. If there are, I don't want to know how they got there.
Not yet, anyway, given the young state of this technology.
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