Stem cell breakthrough uses skin cells rather than embryos

The new method meets with presidential approval, but some scientists say they need to continue embryo research.

By Kevin B. O'Reilly, AMNews staff. Dec. 10, 2007.

Two teams of scientists simultaneously announced they have reprogrammed human skin cells to obtain pluripotency, the characteristic hailed in embryonic stem cells as having the potential for therapeutic breakthroughs in areas ranging from Parkinson's disease to diabetes.

Scientists in Japan and Wisconsin created the so-called induced pluripotent cells by introducing different combinations of genes into skin cells that are normally switched off after embryonic cells differentiate into various cell types. The results were published last month in Cell and Nature, respectively.

Researchers, ethicists, religious leaders and politicians hailed the findings, saying the innovative work could allow society to reap scientific and medical benefits of stem cell research without destroying embryos.

"If this becomes a way to get pluripotent stem cells, then you've gotten around some significant ethical and logistical problems with stem cell research," said Josephine Johnston, associate for law and bioethics at the Hastings Center, the seminal bioethics think tank. She added that researchers "haven't solved the moral disagreement, but they have avoided the problem."

The White House also applauded the news. In 2001, President Bush issued an executive order that limited federal funding for research to 60 existing embryonic stem cell lines. He has since vetoed two bills to fund research involving embryos generated during in vitro fertilization treatments and headed for the biohazard bin. In a statement, Bush said he "believes medical problems can be solved without compromising either the high aims of science or the sanctity of human life."