Dear Editor,
A fundamentalist lobby intimated during the general election campaign that embryonic stem cell research and abortion are linked.
There is no connection between abortion and human embryonic stem cells.
The embryos used to derive stem cells are created in dishes in fertility clinics. They are never transferred into the human body and are donated for medical research (in the US, 60 per cent of parents consent that embryos slated for disposal can be used to derive embryonic stem cells).
An embryo is not a foetus. The embryos used for stem cell research are about the size of the full stop at the end of this sentence. They are spheres containing about 100 cells. They have no nervous system, no heart, no limbs and no specialised tissues.
Each year, thousands of embryos that cannot be used for fertility treatment are discarded as medical waste. They are discarded for a variety of reasons. Some don’t develop normally, while others are found to carry genetic defects that cause serious disease. More than 400,000 embryos are frozen in fertility clinics and most will eventually be discarded.
Worryingly, some political parties’ recent policy statements on stem cells have been poorly informed, scientifically and medically. Amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood contain adult stem cells. They hold promise for therapy but do not have the properties, nor the developmental potential, of embryonic stem cells. They are not biologically equivalent and are being translated in a distinct manner to different conditions in the clinic.
Research should be done along all avenues, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and reprogrammed cells if Ireland is to interface effectively with the international stem-cell community and become competitive in the regenerative medicine sector.
Dr Stephen Sullivan,
Director and CSO,
Irish Stem Cell Foundation,
22 Northumberland Road,
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
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Embyonic stem cell research could hold the key to curing a variety of diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. I understand the ethical concerns that people may have regarding using embryonic tissues for research. However, if these embryos are being produced in excess as a consequence of the normal process of IVF, then it seems that if parental consent is given, it would be logical to use these cells to research cures for diseases that have eluded medical science. These embryonic stem cells are otherwise destined for disposal as waste. We might as well use them for a good purpose.