Interview of MIT Professor on Stem Cell Research and Cloning

December 8, 2005

MercatorNet has an interview with James Sherley, an associate professor of biological engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sherley is an outspoken critic of both cloning and destructive embryo research. In fact, Sherley raises questions about the potential usefulness of embryonic stem cells.

MercatorNet: What are the scientific drawbacks of using human embryonic stem cells in clinical applications and in research?

Sherley: The most profound drawback, which has not been adequately disclosed, is that they cannot be used directly to treat mature tissues and organs. The tissues and organs of the body undergo constant cell turnover. Cells are born by cell division, they turn into functional cells (ie, “differentiate”), they function, they get old, they die, and finally they are lost or removed from their tissue or organ. So, to treat mature tissues and organs by giving mature cells produced from embryonic stem cells is not enough. The cells that normally sustain cell turnover are adult stem cells that reside in every tissue and organ which has this cell turnover process, and that is nearly all tissues. This means that, in order to use embryonic stem cells for diseases in mature tissues, they must be turned into adult stem cells.

Another reason that embryonic stem cells cannot be used directly is that they form tumours when transplanted into mature tissues. Knowing these facts, it is pure scientific folly to place such emphasis on embryonic stem cells research to the exclusion of support for adult stem cell research. No matter what the hurdles are for success with adult stem cell-based therapy development, embryonic stem cell research faces the same hurdles and more.

Read the whole thing

HT: Secondhand Smoke