Experts See Little Prospect for Embryonic Stem Cells forTreatments on Humans

TORONTO, March 30, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a review ofrelevant literature, Dr. John Shea of Toronto has found experts have determinedthat, despite huge media

attention, there is little prospect for embryonic stem celltreatment for humans.

Dr. John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University has recentlystated that embryonic stem cells are "surprisingly geneticallyunstable" in mice and perhaps in humans as

well. He said that this "may complicate efforts to turncells into cures. You may have to establish hundreds of cell lines to get thefew you would want to have." This

would require destroying thousands of embryos, and replacingthem with thousands more when the original cell line becomes too unstable forfurther use.

It is difficult to prevent embryonic stem cells from turninginto all kinds of cells and tissues. Bioethicist Glenn McGee has stated that"The potential that they

would explode into a cancerous mass after stem celltransplant might turn out to be the Pandora's box of stem cell research."(E.Jonietz, "Innovation: Sourcing Stem

Cells" Technology Review, Jan/Feb. 2001)

A study published in Science, July/2001, showed thatembryonic stem cells used in cloning mice created with embryonic stem cells hadmany faulty genes due to gene

expression flaws. These faults were not due to cloning butto the embryonic cells. These genetic defects often led to severe abnormalitiesin the mice.

Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for BiomedicalResearch in Cambridge, Mass., warned that gene expression flaws could affectpersonality, intelligence and

other human attributes in cloned humans. In February 2004,he stated that embryonic stem cell research is not of practical use at thispoint.

Dr. Carlo Croce M D., Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center,of the Thomas Jefferson University, Pa. stated on March 15, 2004, that a 100%identical clone that is not

subject to tissue rejection can be produced only if one usesthe patient's own egg cells. Thus for male patients, or for women in menopause,the possibility of

therapeutic cloning does not yet exist. Dr. Croce foreseesother problems with embryonic stem cells. Animal experiments have shown thatserious cancer frequently

develops when animals receive manipulated embryonic stemcells. He believes that the carcinogenic risk is serious, and that it will be along time before any patients

could be treated with cloned embryonic stem cells.