Stem cells

Anna Fitzgerald is a scientist working on induced pluripotent stem cells cells. She is optimistic about the potential of reprogramming cells and thinks stem cell therapies will be hugely important as a way to treat the underlying causes of many serious diseases. However, she knows such therapies are still a long way off and thinks we should not rush into clinical trials. She is also concerned that a lot of resources will be needed to make therapies available to a lot of people in a cost effective manner. She wants her research to provide benefits for everyone, not just a small group of rich patients who can afford specialist treatment.

Liz Hopeful has been married for 5 years. She would really like to have children but it hasn’t happened. So she and her husband have started IVF treatment. The first cycle of treatment failed but they still have 6 embryos in cold storage. All of them have names. One of the forms asked if they were prepared to donate some of the embryos from the IVF treatment to stem cell research. The idea that embryos be experimented on horrifies Liz. However, if she does have a baby she might consider having her baby’s cord blood stored even though therapies using cord blood stem cells are a long way off.

Father O’Reilly is a Catholic priest. He sees a lot of suffering around the world and in his own country and feels a deep compassion about this. But true to a stream of his church’s teaching, he believes that a human embryo is a sacred life from conception onwards. This means that it is impossible to accept any kind of research on embryos. Experiments should only be done on stem cells obtained from cord blood, or on iPS cells. He thinks scientists do not concern themselves with the spiritual laws and should be guided by those who do.

My name is Áron Sárallyai. I am a 23 year old university student. I was born with an inherited primary immune deficiency, which caused many difficult illnesses during my whole life. My state of health was getting worse and worse during the last few years and finally it became serious. The only treatment that has helped has been stem cell therapy. I received the stem cells from a foreign adult donor, to whom I am so thankful. The process was painless for both of us. With the donated stem cells my immune system can be the same as the donor’s immune system. I got a chance to be healthy. I support stem cell therapy, but only with adult volunteers, as it can cure serious diseases. However, I would urge everyone to be cautious, as it is not a miraculous solution, but with sufficient attention, it can help many people.

Sir Grant Cameron heads one of the leading research teams on embryonic stem cells. He is disturbed by what he sees as the blatant emotional appeal of those opposed to embryo research. It is irrational to ascribe human moral status to what is just a ball of cells at this very early stage of its development. In media appearances he appeals for an intelligent, rational debate. How can others deny a cure to so many? He thinks it’s immoral to stand in the way of this research which could find cures for these debilitating diseases. Even now that iPS cells can be created, he believes embryonic stem cell research is vital to help scientists understand how stem cells work.

Janice Fortune has been an entrepreneur all her life. She has set up a company to create human stem cells for research and eventual clinical practice. She cares about sick people and is aware of ethical issues, but her primary concern is how to run a viable company when it could still take 10 years or more to fulfil the huge promise of stem cells. If embryos look to be able to deliver the fastest results, she will use them; if adult or iPS cells look best, she will opt for that route.

Ted Murdoch is 50 years old and has a good career. He is close to his family and looking forward to eventual retirement. But he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and is already losing some functional ability. This disease scares him. He will die slowly and probably give much pain to his family on the way. He doesn’t want to be a burden. He has heard about stem cells as a possible cure and feels it could save people like him. He has become a strong supporter of all kinds of stem cell research, including the use of embryonic stem cells. Together, scientists using all these different approaches must surely beat the disease.

Amanda is a young cell biologist at a leading stem cell research institute. Recently, government regulators licensed her boss to use cloned embryos, made using a blood sample from a patient with motor neurone disease. Stem cells would be taken from the patient to create a supply of cells which exhibit the disease. Amanda has misgivings about creating embryos just for research. She is worried that maverick scientists could use the results to try to make cloned babies. The project is speculative, but might achieve real breakthroughs in understanding an awful disease. She struggles to work out where she stands.

Zed is a transhumanist. For him, regenerative medicine with stem cells is only a short term goal. He anticipates a convergence of reprogramming, genetic, stem cell, cybernetic and nanotechnology research which will open up techniques for creating permanent human genetic changes and much else. These would not only eliminate genetic diseases but would also enable enhancements. We could expand our intelligence, extend our sensory capacities, increase our endurance and overcome ageing. He scorns our current religious and ethical short-sightedness. We should grasp our human destiny in our own hands. All regulation risks denying us that destiny.

Dr. Sharon Taylor is a neurosurgeon and often sees patients who are paralysed as a result of a serious injury to their spinal cord. She keeps up to date with the latest developments and is keen to try the latest technologies, but she is worried that stem cells are often presented as a magical cure. She feels under pressure from patients and their families to perform stem cell transplants whatever the risk. However, she knows that such therapies have not been thoroughly tested and clinical trials are only just beginning. She is not prepared to use stem cells until a safe and effective therapy is available, but she worries that desperate patients will turn to unscrupulous people who might exploit them to make money, despite health risks.