http://livescience.com/humanbiology/ap_050822_stem_cells.htmlScientists Fuse Adult and Embryonic Stem CellsBy The Associated Press
posted: 22 August 2005
09:39 am ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Harvard scientists announced they've discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells, a promising and dramatic breakthrough that could lead to the creation of useful stem cells without first having to create and destroy human embryos.
Members of the research team were to discuss their findings Monday. Preliminary results of the potentially groundbreaking research were disclosed Sunday on the Science magazine web site.
The scientists said they were able to show in their early research that the fused cell "was reprogrammed to its embryonic state.''
"If future experiments indicate that this reprogrammed state is retained after removing the embryonic stem cell DNA -- currently a formidable technical hurdle -- the hybrid cells could theoretically be used to produce embryonic stem cells lines that are tailored to individual patients without the need to create and destroy human embryos,'' said a summary of the research reported on the Science site.
That could lead to creation of stem cells without having to use human eggs or make new human embryos in the process, thereby sidestepping much of the controversy over stem cell research.
The Harvard researchers used laboratory grown human embryonic stem cells -- such as the ones that President Bush has already approved for use by federally funded researchers -- to essentially convert a skin cell into an embryonic stem cell itself.
If a number of hurdles can be overcome in subsequent research, the new technique "may circumvent some of the logistical and societal concerns'' that have hampered much of the research in this country, Chad A. Cowan, Kevin Eggan and colleagues from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute report in the Science article.
Those social concerns are reflected in the Senate's looming debate over a House-passed bill to force taxpayers to fund stem cell research that would destroy human embryos, legislation President Bush has promised to veto. Bush and many fellow conservatives believe it is immoral to create embryos only to destroy them, even in the name of scientific progress that could cure or treat diseases afflicting millions of people.
Debate and a vote on the bill will proceed next month as planned, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's spokeswoman, Amy Call, said Monday. Frist earlier this month said he will vote for the bill, widely expected to pass even in the face of Bush's veto threat.
The hybrid cells created by the Harvard team "had the appearance, growth rate, and several key genetic characteristics of human embryonic cells,'' the summary of their work said.
"They also behaved like embryonic cells, differentiating into cells from each of the three main tissue types that form in a developing embryo. The authors conclude that human embryonic cells have the ability to reprogram adult cell chromosomes following cell fusion. "
http://livescience.com/humanbiology/050823_stem_cell.htmlLab Lungs? Breakthrough Work Converts Stem Cells into Lung TissueBy Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
posted: 23 August 2005
11:14 am ET
Scientists have converted human embryonic stem cells into lung cells, taking an initial step towards building human lungs for transplantation.
While the actual lab construction of lungs is surely a far-off project, scientists are excited about their ability to control the development of cells. Some medical applications could be right around the corner.
Stem cells are special cells that transform into the various types of cells needed to make a living body. Embryonic stem cells are able to make the bone, muscle, blood and all other tissue from which we're all made.
Other groups have used stem cells in labs to make mouse sperm and human brain neurons.
Now scientists at Imperial College London have taken human embryonic stem cells and guided their conversion into the type of cell needed for gas exchange in the lung, known as mature small airway epithelium.
"This is a very exciting development, and could be a huge step towards being able to build human lungs for transplantation or to repair lungs severely damaged by incurable diseases such as cancer," said study leader Julia Polak.
The results will be published in the journal Tissue Engineering.
"Although it will be some years before we are able to build actual human lungs for transplantation, this is a major step towards deriving cells that could be used to repair damaged lungs," said fellow researcher Anne Bishop of the college.
In the near term, the breakthrough could help treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which causes the lining of the cells to fall off. By injecting stem cells that will become lung cells, the scientists hope to be able to repair the lung lining.
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