Human ES cells are obtained from embryos created for in vitro fertilization. Because the cells can become any type of cell in the body, they may one day offer a chance to treat or cure diseases such as Parkinson's disease or type I diabetes. As research with ES cells advances and the cells' use in humans grows nearer, the panel wanted to anticipate and consider issues of patient safety and fair access that are likely to arise for Americans.
The federal government is by far the largest funder of biomedical research in the United States. However, according to President George W. Bush's policy, only human ES cell lines created before 9 p.m. ET, Aug. 9, 2001, can be used in federally funded research. But many ramifications of this policy conflict with the panel's carefully determined conclusions, which are reported in two papers: one in the November issue of Fertility and Sterility, and one in the November/December issue of The Hastings Center Report.
For example, even if scientists were willing to use mouse-exposed human ES cells in a clinical trial, the dozen or so cell lines approved for federal funding are likely to be appropriate for relatively few human subjects and patients, thanks to humans' genetic diversity, the panel concluded.
At issue is the likely event that transplanted ES cells and the recipient's
cells probably will have to "match," just as required for blood, organ and
bone marrow transplants. By matching key proteins called human leukocyte
antigens (HLA) on cells' surfaces, the immune system distinguishes between
the body's own cells
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Contact: Joanna Downer
jdowner1@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
10-Nov-2003