Stem Cell Research

New stem-cell research could affect cloning debate

By Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The stalled congressional debate on whether to adopt a cloning moratorium could be affected by recent medical research which suggests that adult stem cells can accomplish most of the things that scientists hope for in cloning.

"It's a very interesting study. It's very promising," said Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Cloning as a therapeutic device "remains speculation," Doerflinger told Catholic News Service in a June 21 telephone interview.

Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Mary Landrieu, D-La., are co-sponsors of legislation that would ban human cloning for all purposes, including medical research. Other senators have sponsored bills that would support cloning for medical research but ban cloning for reproductive purposes.

Neither side seems to have the votes to proceed, so Brownback has indicated he might accept a two-year moratorium on cloning.

But Doerflinger said the legislation also has been affected by procedural matters. At issue is whether the Brownback-Landrieu bill should go to the Senate floor before a bill sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., which would permit cloning.

"The Senate leadership wanted to go first. Brownback wanted Specter to go first," Doerflinger added. The stalemate continued into late June.

But the University of Minnesota study, published June 20 by the journal Nature, could prompt a few senators to switch votes in what is currently a close call.

A type of cell found in bone marrow seems capable of transforming itself into nearly every kind of specialized cell in the body, according to the study.

The research conducted to date was able to isolate this cell in mice, rats and people. Further, it found the cell in 70 percent to 80 percent of the people tested.

The great promise of adult stem-cell research is that cells from the person's own body likely would not be rejected by the body's immune system. Advocates of cloning have used the same argument. They also have contended that embryonic stem cells were needed because their value would be lost on an irreversible course to adult status.

Further successful animal experimentation would be required before it would be ethical to replicate the tests in humans in the United States.

But Doerflinger noted experiments with adult stem cells in Europe that point to encouraging results.

He cited cases of "bubble boy" syndrome, in which a child's immune system is virtually nonexistent. Stem cells were taken from such children, and gene therapy was performed on the cells before they were reintroduced into the children. "They were able to step out of their bubbles," Doerflinger said.

He added the potential of cloning had been oversold.

"No one has yet produced the kind of benefits from cloning (many have predicted), and animal cloning so far has been very disappointing," Doerflinger said. He noted that even a cloned animal had to reach the adult state before its cells could be used for transplantation into the original animal.

6/24/2002

Copyright (c) 2002 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops