Politics
Wednesday December 6, 2006
UK Researchers Seek Human Trials for Fetal Cell Stroke Therapy Despite Past Disasters
Brain tissue of aborted 12-week baby used to grow cells for treatment
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
GUILDFORD, United Kingdom, December 6, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A UK company wants to use stem cells taken from the brain of an aborted 12-week-old child to attempt to treat stroke victims, claiming the artificially-stimulated cells have potential to regenerate stroke-damaged tissue.
BBC reported yesterday on ReNeuron’s request to the US Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials on 12 stroke patients. The process requires genetic modification of the brain cells taken from the unborn child, however, raising serious safety questions since the technique utilizes a gene associated with tumor growth.
In order to increase the cells’ ability to multiply, researchers introduced a gene called c-myc, which under normal conditions aids in cell division. When abnormalities are present within the cell, however, the gene can contribute to uncontrollable cellular replication, causing cancer.
The ReNeuron team claims to have controlled the gene’s activity by modifying it so it only triggers cell replication when a chemical is added, and stops once the chemical is removed.
Previous research experiments with human trials using tissue obtained from unborn babies have had catastrophic results. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed the “disastrous” side effects of using brain cells from aborted babies in an attempt to treat Parkinson’s disease, as patients began to “chew constantly” and “writhe and twist, jerk their heads, fling their arms about.” The infant cells produced too much dopamine in the adult brains.
A second U.S. study found that 13 of 23 Parkinson’s patients treated with aborted fetal tissue developed severe uncontrollable movements. Side effects in both cases were irreversible.
Experiments using embryonic cells to treat animals have repeatedly found that the cells triggered tumor growth through uncontrolled replication.
A further serious problem has been adult rejection of the fetal tissue, necessitating the constant use of damaging anti-rejection drugs.
Pro-life advocates spoke out against ReNeuron’s proposal to use cells obtained from an unborn child as “unethical in every way.” John Smeaton, director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, told the BBC he was completely opposed to the research.
“It’s a sick proposal. It involves cannibalizing an unborn child,” Smeaton said.
“It’s unethical in every way - killing one member of the human race to help another. We are totally opposed to this.”
At 12 weeks gestation an unborn child is fully formed and capable of controlled movement. Recent developments in ultrasound technology fascinated the public with images of unborn babies at 12 weeks “walking” in the womb, sucking their thumbs and showing facial expression.
In the meantime the list of successful treatments on human patients using stem cells obtained from the patient’s own tissue continues to grow. The most recent breakthrough has been the successful treatment of heart attack victims with stem cells obtained from their own bone marrow, scheduled to begin trials in London in January. International trials found the treatment remarkably successful in causing the damaged heart tissue to regenerate.
See BBC coverage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6207236.stm
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Fetal Tissue Transplants Cause Disaster Again for Parkinson's Patients in Experimental Treatment
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/aug/03082503.html
Placenta Cells Share Characteristics of Embryo Cells Without Tumor Formation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05081004.html
Adult Stem Cells from Human Retina Reproduce and Differentiate Easily
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/oct/04102605.html
Adult Stem Cells Used to Treat Emergency Heart Attack Patients
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110809.html
Amazing New Ultrasound Shows First-Ever Pictures of Unborn at 12 Weeks 'Walking' in the womb
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jun/04062801.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.