PROFESSIONAdult stem cell findings clouded by politicsNew research reignites interest on scientific fronts, but some worry the results are being co-opted for political messages.By Andis Robeznieks, amednews staff. Feb. 25, 2002. A not-so-funny thing happened to Catherine Verfaillie, MD, on her way to finding new scientific breakthroughs in stem cell research: Her own research is being used to justify imposing limits on the scientific frontiers she is exploring. Dr. Verfaillie, the director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and her colleagues demonstrated the ability of adult bone marrow stem cells to differentiate into the cells that line both blood vessels and the vessels of the lymphatic system. "What we have seen is the ability of these cells to feed the blood vessels of tumors and to heal the blood vessels surrounding wounds," Dr. Verfaillie said. "The findings suggest that these adult stem cells may be an ideal source of cells for clinical therapy." She envisioned these adult stem cells treating atherosclerosis, healing ulcers or diabetic wounds, and fighting cancerous tumors by introducing anti-angiogenesis genes. Calling them "multipotent adult progenitor cells," Dr. Verfaillie said these cells may have the potential to differentiate into liver cells, neurons and other specialized cells. "Some of the characteristics we found are reminiscent of ES [embryonic stem] cells," she said. "Whether they will be as powerful as ES cells is not yet clear, and can only be determined by side-by-side comparison, which we plan to do." Dr. Verfaillie's study was published in the February Journal of Clinical Investigation. But before that publication saw the light of day, organizations opposing embryonic stem cell research were putting their own spin on the story, and the mainstream media was running with it.
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Copyright 2002 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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