Spinal Times: The Amy Alexander Foundation for Spinal Cord Injuries

It can happen without warning, you bend over to pick up the morning paper and feel a searing pain in your side. Later you learn you've fractured a rib. If you're an older adult, your fracture may be the result of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," causes bones to become weak and brittle. So brittle that even mild stresses like bending over, lifting a vacuum cleaner or coughing can cause a fracture. In most cases, bones weaken when you have low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones. Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs such as corticosteroids.

In the United States, osteoporosis causes more than 1.5 million fractures every year. Most of them in the spine, hip or wrist. And although it's often thought of as a women's disease, osteoporosis affects many men as well. About 8 million American women and 2 million American men have osteoporosis, and nearly 18 million more Americans may have low bone density. Even children aren't immune.

It's never too late, or too early, to do something about osteoporosis. Everyone can take steps to keep bones strong and healthy throughout life.

Ancient Healers: Rituals Revisited

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- We spend much of our time talking about modern medical breakthroughs. However, most of modern medicine has its roots in the past. Here are some of these ancient ceremonies used in the name of healing.

Smoldering sage is meant to eliminate bad energy.

Rhythmic drumming calls the spirits to this healing circle. Family Practitioner Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D., of The Continuum Center for Health & Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, is a soft-spoken Cherokee Indian in an unlikely place. Dr. Mehl-Madrona says, "I've learned to think of Manhattan as a tribal ground. When they make all their noise then I just think, 'Oh, my tribal brothers are hard at work.'"

Inside his office, though, the city's tribal noises are shut out. Today, Heather comes to Dr. Mehl-Madrona to heal her depression. Her boyfriend committed suicide two years ago. A doll represents him. Heather says, "He had beautiful blue eyes, and I remember those." Dr. Mehl-Madrona says, "I was thinking Michael left his depression behind and you kind of picked it up or something." They will try to conjure Michael's spirit so heather can let go of her bad energy.

Heather says, "It scared my family. It scared my friends -- the way that I've been feeling and acting." Dr. Mehl-Madrona says, "Get really mad if you need to, and then we can feather your bad energy so you can go on with your life," says Dr. Mehl-Madrona. He believes spiritual rituals and holistic therapies may have been cast aside in the name of modern medicine. "We're beginning to figure out that we need more than pharmaceuticals and people that can cut on us with knives," says Dr. Mehl-Madrona.

While healing ceremonies are uncommon in the United States, they are an integral part of the culture in many other countries. In the Sacred Valley of Peru, native healer Alicia Huaman Guitterez comes from a long line of healers. "My grandparents, my parents, were healers. When I was born he saw a chakara marking in my forehead," she says. Her healings come by way of offerings to Pachamama - Mother Earth. Once the offering is prepared and prayers have been said, she offers it to the gods. "That's how it goes from being in the physical into the spiritual world," says Alicia. Both Alicia and Dr. Mehl-Madrona believe these ceremonies give patients the inner strength to heal themselves.

The center where Dr. Mehl-Madrona works offers a variety of holistic approaches beyond Native American rituals, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, visualization and homeopathy.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D.
The Continuum for Health and Healing
245 Fifth Avenue at 28th Street
New York, NY 10016
(646) 935-2220

Osteoporosis Mat

Ivanhoe Newswire -- A healthy diet, exercise and medication are typically what doctors prescribe for the more than 10 million women and men who suffer from osteoporosis in this country. Now, what you sleep on may also help prevent bone loss. Inside this thin mat are 200 layers of aluminum and polyester, materials that may hold the key to treating and preventing osteoporosis.

Geriatrician Karen Prestwood, M.D., says, "When a person lies on the mat, the layers of material rub together and create this very low level electrical field." Researchers from the Center on Aging at the University of Connecticut in Farmington believe that electrical field builds bone density and stimulates calcium growth when patients sleep the mat. "The mat can act as a capacitor so that when a person lies on it, this energy is emitted and it is thought it may affect bones," says Dr. Prestwood. Half of the 70 women in the study sleep on the electromagnetic mat and half on a placebo mat. Agnes Perrault is a volunteer. She doesn't have osteoporosis yet, and hopes to keep it that way. "I really am into preventative medicine, or whatever. I would rather do something now than have some sort of condition," Perrault tells Ivanhoe.

Bone activity is monitored through changes in blood and urine, which are taken every six weeks. Dr. Prestwood says, "The implications are huge because this would be a simple, noninvasive, inexpensive way to treat osteoporosis." The study is also looking at whether or not sleeping on the mat can boost the immune system.

Silverton Man Is An Inspiration

Gregory Perry, who had spinal reconstructive surgery in August 2001, spends his days exercising, walking and talking by phone to people around the country who are interested in the surgery and his progress. The 30-year-old Silverton man was shot Feb. 8, 1996, causing a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from his neck down. Dr. Carl C. Kao, a neurosurgeon who directs a spinal cord clinic in Washington, D.C., performed the surgery on Perry.

"I have been getting calls from people from Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, New York, Texas, Alabama asking about the surgery, since they read about it in the Enquirer," Perry said. "I have become a morale booster for them. I tell them to stay focused and have patience. I let them know that you cannot recover from this kind of surgery overnight. "Some of the calls are from people with spinal injuries and paralysis who want the surgery. Some have relatives or friends who want the surgery." He said some callers want to come to Cincinnati and exercise with him. He figures he is now walking close to two city blocks and thinks that is great progress. "I take about 325 steps a day, and it is just as hard taking the 325 as it was taking the first step a year and a half ago. I have a long way to go, but I will never give up. I made a promise to myself that I will walk again, and I will spend the rest of my life striving for that goal," Perry said. His walking is done with special boots and a walker. He said walking takes his exercising to another level. "Exercising is easy compared to what I have to do to walk. It takes everything out of me. I take three or four steps and then I have to rest," he said.

Encouraging Fruit and Veggie Consumption

Ivanhoe Newswire -- Counseling low-income people about the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption can lead to positive changes in their diet, finds a new study from British investigators. Their report in the current British Medical Journal notes a significant increase in the proportion of people eating five or more servings a day after brief educational sessions delivered in doctors’ offices. Studies have shown consumption of fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. However, research also indicates people in lower socioeconomic groups are less likely to eat these nutritious foods. Brief counseling sessions have been shown effective in a few reports, but well-designed studies have yet to be conducted. In this study, investigators enrolled about 270 men and women ages 18 to 70 in a randomized controlled trial. All were in good health and came from inner-city, low-income groups. About half the group received nutrition education counseling in which a nurse instructed them in the benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, the nutritional content of these foods, and how these nutrients work in the body to keep it healthy. The other half received behavioral counseling. These interventions were tailor-made to the specific individuals, providing personalized advice and emphasizing short-term and long-term goals involving fruit and vegetable consumption.

Participants in the study completed questionnaires about their diet before receiving the counseling and then again at eight weeks and 12 months. They also underwent blood and urine tests to ascertain levels of certain nutrients. Results showed positive effects from both interventions, although those in the behavioral counseling group fared the best. By the one-year follow up, the proportion of participants eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day had increased by 42 percent in the behavioral group and 27 percent in the nutrition education group. Blood levels of important nutrients increased in both groups, and there were no changes in urine levels.

Tendon Transfer

Ivanhoe Newswire -- We need to pinch our thumb for nearly 90 percent of the tasks we do each day with our hands. It's something most of us take for granted, but if we were to lose that ability, it would make life very difficult. Here's how doctors are restoring the ability to pinch in some people with spinal cord injuries. What may seem like a simple stroke of the brush is a major accomplishment for Rose O'Lague. A car accident left O'Lague a quadriplegic. But, she says, not being able to walk was not the hardest part.

"My thumb hung away from my hand so I had no grip," O'Lague tells Ivanhoe. No grip meant not being able to hold her paintbrush. She says, "No matter how hard I tried, I could not grip anything. That was terribly frustrating."

To restore function in O'Lague's thumb, doctors took a tendon from her forearm and transferred it to her thumb. Orthopedic hand surgeon Allan Peljovich, M.D., M.P.H., of Shepherd Center in Atlanta, performed rose's surgery. "In the end, it doesn't cause her any difficulty or impairment in her elbow, but now provides her with function she doesn't have," he tells Ivanhoe.

After five weeks in a cast and months of therapy, O'Lague is now able to paint with great detail. Dr. Peljovich says, "Taking care of people like Rose are about as much fun as it gets because you can really make a difference for what they do."

O'Lague says, "I can put on my own lipstick. I can pick up finger food."

She can also turn pages -- a necessity for a director of a community theater. She says, "I know I'm not going to walk again and I'm not concerned about that, but not to be able to do anything with my hands, that probably would have been the hardest thing to really live with." Doctors say new techniques have made tendon transfers more successful and better for the patient. Tendon transfers can be done in other areas of the body including the shoulder, elbow and hand.

Stanford Draws Criticism With Announcement of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Project

SAN FRANCISCO—Stanford University has reignited the debate over the use of stem cells with a top scientist saying the school intends to experiment with cell nuclear transfer technology, an effort many consider to be cloning. "Our avowed goal is to advance science," said Stanford medical professor Dr. Irving Weissman, who will direct the work. "For any group to stay out of the action and wait for someone else to do it because of political reasons is wrong." Much of the institute's research will be geared to treating cancer. Weissman — and Stanford — emphatically denied that the project involves cloning embryos. He said that the university's work would involve taking DNA from diseased adult human cells and transferring them into eggs, then growing them in the lab for a few days to produce stem cells, which many scientists believe can be used to treat myriad illnesses. "Creating human stem cell lines is not equivalent to reproductive cloning," the school said in a statement released Tuesday night. "The first step in the process of creating a stem cell line involves transferring the nucleus from a cell to an egg and allowing the egg to divide. This is the same first step as in reproductive cloning. However, in creating a stem cell line, cells are removed from the developing cluster. These cells can go on to form many types of tissue but cannot on their own develop into a human." Many other researchers dismiss such a distinction, saying that this kind of nuclear transfer, which would create an exact genetic replica of the adult cell donor if allowed to grow, is in fact cloning. The American Association of Medical Colleges, of which Stanford is a member, defines it this way: "Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) or therapeutic cloning involves removing the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell, replacing it with the material from the nucleus of a `somatic cell' (a skin, heart, or nerve cell, for example), and stimulating this cell to begin dividing." Similar research has already been done at the University of California, San Francisco, although it closed down its program when its lead researcher moved to England, where stem cell research is more accepted. It's also been done at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Massachusetts, which was roundly criticized after announcing preliminary research results. Scientists believe that embryonic stem cells, which are created in the first days of pregnancy and develop into all the cells that comprise a human body, can be used to treat many illnesses. Embryos must be destroyed to harvest the stem cells, and some anti-abortion activists and others oppose the research. Ronald Green, the chairman of Advanced Cell's ethics advisory committee and a religion professor at Dartmouth University, applauded Stanford's announcement but said "cloning" is in fact the mostly widely accepted term for what Weissman's team plans to do. "We've been struggling with names for this technology — I've favored &rsquo therapeutic cloning,’ " Green said. Other leading ethicists call it "biomedical cloning" and distinguish it from "reproductive cloning." While "cloning" suggests the production of a baby, and that's not Stanford's intent, "you are creating something that some view as an embryo," Green said. "Almost any terminology is inadequate to explain the complex science." Nobel laureate and Stanford professor Paul Berg, when asked at the news conference if nuclear transfer and cloning were the same, he had a two-word response: " It is." He added, " We use the word cloning in science as a term to describe the production of many copies of a starting material. "

Stanford's stem cell work will be part of the new Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, launched with a $12 million donation. Any stem cells created will be shared with outside researchers, many of whom complain of inadequate access to currently available stem cell lines. Weissman, an outspoken stem cell research proponent, was named institute director. Weissman, serving as chairman of a National Academy of Sciences panel, testified before the Senate this year in favor of nuclear transfer as a way of creating new lines of stem cells. Last year, President George W. Bush limited federal funding to stem cell lines created before Aug. 9, 2001. Of those 78 stem cell colonies worldwide that the Bush administration has said are eligible for federally funded research, only about a dozen are in good enough shape to use in experiments. Even fewer lines, perhaps four, are routinely shared with other researchers interested in breaking into the field.

Wound Pain Relief

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Chronic wounds can affect diabetics, people who are bed-ridden, and people with spinal cord injuries among others. These wounds can last for months, even years and cause excruciating pain that keeps people from walking or driving. Now, a doctor in Kansas came up with a simple idea that's producing amazing results. With her faith behind her, Shirley Williams has learned to appreciate every day. "It had to bring me out of a coma and back into life," she says. Today, Williams is turning her experiences into a story -- experiences she struggles to talk about. She developed kidney failure. It brought on agonizing, chronic wounds. "You sit in one position and don't move. If you don't move, the pain will eventually ease up," she says. Williams tried oral medications and creams, but it was a gel that finally brought relief. Internist/psychiatrist Teresa Long, M.D., tells Ivanhoe, "It's sort of startling in its simplicity." Simple in that it's just morphine mixed with a gel. "The idea was, having looked at other research, that when wounds are inflamed and painful, that the body produces receptors for morphine and morphine-like compounds," says Dr. Long, of the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. In other words, chronic wounds essentially create arms to grab on to morphine. This means the need for less medication, better relief, and fewer side effects. Dr. Long says, "Pain was decreased from a level of 7 down to 0 to 2 or 3 in most of the patients that we saw." For Williams it meant being able to do even little things. She says, "It's a blessing just to get up and walk into my kitchen." Compounding pharmacists can make the gel. Dr. Long is currently involved in a study to determine the best amount of drug and the best delivery method.

If you would like more information, please contact:

KU Medical Center
Physician Referral Line
(913) 588-1227

Stem Cell Sciences Ltd and Sosei Establish Joint Venture in Stem Cell Therapy Field - Going Global in Japan

Stem Cell Sciences Ltd (SCS) and Sosei Co Ltd (Sosei) today jointly announced a significant initiative with the formation of a new Japanese biotechnology company, Stem Cell Sciences KK (SCS KK). The new company is headquartered in the recently established Kobe Frontier Medicine Precinct. "The project has progressed quickly and smoothly through the close relationships developed between SCS, Sosei, the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (RIKEN CDB) and the Kobe City Government," said Shinichi Tamura, CEO of Sosei. "We see a great future for SCS KK as a partner for SCS in this global initiative. We intend to nurture this kind of joint venture in Japan with Western biotech companies when we see strong synergy between their business strategy and evolving Japanese situation, whilst maintaining our focus on product development as Sosei's core business." he said. Licenses granted to SCS KK by SCS are for the SCS patented stem cell technologies relating to the growth, differentiation and purification of embryonic stem cells. These technologies provide a range of highly purified cell types, such as neurons and cardiac cells, for gene and drug discovery. SCS technologies have already been licensed to world leading pharmaceutical companies such as Aventis and Glaxo Smith Kline, as well as other biopharmaceutical companies. SCS KK will exclusively market the discovery platform technologies of SCS and those developed by SCS KK throughout Asia. SCS in turn will market the combined technologies in all other territories, and partner with SCS KK to create safe and effective stem cell-based therapies for the global market. SCS KK will also undertake collaborative research and development programs with world leading stem cell researchers at the newly created RIKEN CDB. SCS KK and SCS will combine in-house technologies with those arising from their academic research collaborations such as ones with RIKEN CDB and the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Genome Research (CGR), accelerating discovery and progress towards new cell therapies. As an integral part of the SCS global alliance, SCS KK will directly address the important regulatory, manufacturing and marketing requirements specific to cell therapies in Japan. "While the framework is still unfolding, we are pleased with progress and outcomes to date" said Dr Peter Mountford, CEO of SCS. "Japan's green light for human ES cell research is the first of many steps on the path to new human medicines". SCS KK commercial operations will start immediately through presentation of SCS discovery technologies to the Japanese pharmaceutical industry. "I have been enormously impressed with the foresight and commitment of the Japanese and Kobe City governments in building this magnificent new precinct for frontier human medicines" said Dr Mountford, "and I don't know of another project like it anywhere in the world. It not only links outstanding basic research with cutting edge clinical capability, but is also fostering the development and global participation of the emerging Japanese biotechnology industry." "We're delighted that SCS KK is the first collaborative research sponsor for the RIKEN CDB and one of the founding biotech companies of the Kobe Frontier Medicine Precinct. I am certain the opportunities available in Kobe will attract many other international biotech firms to Japan," he said. SCS KK appointed Kenzo Nakajima, Executive Vice President and COO of Sosei, as Acting CEO. "Taking advantage of pursuing the collaborative research and development programs with the world leading stem cell researchers in combination with the stem cell technology platform licensed from SCS, SCS KK will be enormously competitive in this emerging field not only in Japan but also in the world. We, as SCS KK, envisage the initial stage of our operations will be to generate revenues through sponsored research and/or licensing of SCS discovery technologies to the Japanese pharmaceutical industry, but our medium and long term focus will remain in the research and development of cell based therapies.

Mini Hip Replacement

Ivanhoe Newswire -- Each year 300,000 people have hip replacement surgery in the United States. That number is expected to double as the baby boomer population ages. Generally, the surgery involves a foot-long incision that causes trauma to the body. A new way of doing this surgery is harder for the surgeon, but easier on the patient. Barbi Martin is out shopping for the first time in six weeks. At 57-years old, Martin was tired of being in pain. She tells Ivanhoe, "Christmas time came and I couldn't go shopping. I used to go shopping with each of my kids, and we'd spend the whole day shopping, just girl stuff. I couldn't do that." It was time for a new hip. Martin didn't get a standard hip replacement, however. Instead of a 10- to 12-inch incision, hers would be just 3 to 4 inches. Orthopedic surgeon David Dore, M.D., tells Ivanhoe, "It's just been phenomenal as far as how much easier it is on the patients." Dr. Dore, of Florida Hospital in Celebration, says the smaller incision means less cutting of the muscles, less blood loss and less pain ... but more work for the surgeon. "Technically it's more difficult. You're working through a much smaller hole," he says. Special tools are designed to help the surgeon work and see through the smaller opening. Dr. Dore says, "You're now able to take a light source, snap it down in there so you can actually illuminate deep in the wound. I think as we make the procedure easier, it will become more acceptable by hip surgeons," he says. Martin has just a three-and-a-half inch scar. But more than that, she says the surgery and recovery has been a cinch. "I didn't have any pain. I kept waiting for the pain to come," she says. A day out with her daughter is just the first step in Martin's new beginning. Dr. Dore says it will probably take 5 to 10 years before the smaller incision becomes the standard for hip replacement surgery. He hopes more and more surgeons, however, will be open minded to this idea since it appears to be so much easier on the patient.

Group Scores Victory in Harry and Louise Battle

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Harry and Louise, the TV characters first made famous for weighing in against the Clinton administration's health care plan, may continue to be used in advertisements aimed at defeating a bill that would ban all human cloning, the US District Court of Washington DC has ruled. The characters appeared in ads paid for by CuresNow, a patient group that advocates cloning to produce stem cells for research purposes. The group fears an outright cloning ban would also prevent cloning for research purposes. US District Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the copyright belongs to the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), which filed for a preliminary injunction earlier this month. HIAA was the sponsor of the original ads, and is alleging that the new CuresNow commercials are hurting the organization's public image. "We have taken no position on cloning and our frustration is that these ads have sown confusion," HIAA spokesperson Randy Clerihue explained in an interview with Reuters Health. But in the ruling, Walton noted that the industry organization did not attempt to copyright the characters until after the CuresNow ads began to run. The Judge added that he believed CuresNow clearly would be hurt by the preliminary injunction if it were forced to remove the ads during the legislative debate. The US House already has passed a cloning ban, but the US Senate is not expected to begin the cloning debate until next month. Clerihue said among the HIAA's remaining options were filing an appeal, pursuing the accompanying lawsuit or settling the lawsuit out of court. Walton did not rule on the accompanying lawsuit, but would be the same judge to hear that case. Clerihue said the organization has yet to decide on a course of action. CuresNow spokeswoman Ginny Grenham told Reuters Health the group is committed to running the ads for as long as necessary. "We didn't anticipate this legal challenge," she told Reuters Health. "Hopefully, they will not pursue it. It would be foolish of them to pursue it considering that a good percentage of those they cover would be helped by this research." Ad producer Ben Goddard, who made both the HIAA and CuresNow ads, praised the court ruling in a statement. In denying HIAA's attempt to silence the Harry and Louise ads, "the court has taken an important step in preserving an important public voice in the debate over this issue," Goddard said. Earlier, Goddard also noted his wife, Louise Claire Clark, plays Louise in the ads and supports therapeutic cloning and stem cell research. Goddard added that Louise would be donating her pay to CuresNow to aid with its lobbying campaign.

Senate to Delay Cloning, Stem Cell Debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate again probably will delay a contentious debate about embryonic stem cell research and human cloning, missing a tentative late-May target date, Majority Leader Tom Daschle said on Tuesday. Daschle said the Senate had spent more time than he had anticipated on energy and trade legislation, leaving too little time to bring up cloning legislation before the Memorial Day congressional recess. The fate of the legislation is uncertain, with some senators still undecided or at least unannounced. "I think we're probably going to have to pick up where we left on stem cell research sometime after we get back," Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, told reporters. While lawmakers across the political spectrum are strongly opposed to "reproductive cloning" -- an attempt to create a cloned human baby -- there is division about whether "therapeutic cloning" should be allowed. Under therapeutic cloning, an embryo is created and stem cells -- primitive cells that have the ability to transform into many other cell types -- extracted for medical research. The embryo is destroyed and is not implanted in a woman's uterus to become a baby. The debate is being heavily lobbied and is the source of a number of emotional advertising campaigns. The issue is expected to play a role in campaigns in states with close votes in this congressional election year. The House of Representatives last year passed a bill, strongly backed by President Bush and anti-abortion groups, that would ban all types of human cloning. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback and Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. Debate has been put off several times. Competing legislation sponsored by Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Tom Harkin of Iowa and Dianne Feinstein of California and Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania would outlaw any attempt to clone an actual human being, but would allow therapeutic cloning. Foes of cloning say it is immoral to create an embryo only to destroy it, and say it could lead to a society in which, as Bush put it in a speech last month, "human beings are grown for spare body parts and children are engineered to custom specifications." But advocates of therapeutic cloning say it is a promising avenue of stem cell research that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer.

Hey, Mom, Relax!

Ivanhoe Newswire -- Premature babies who survive to adulthood often face serious health problems. One of the major causes of premature birth is stress on the mom. So what's an expectant mother to do? For Fernanda Erlanger, it wasn't easy bringing eight-month-old Julia into the world. Fernanda's last baby was born at 24 weeks, and died soon after. Fernanda took no chances with Julia. "Pregnancy is a really special time. It's not something to take for granted. For some women it's really easy. It's not a big deal, and for other women it's much harder and I think you need to be much more protective," Fernanda tells Ivanhoe. In her case, that meant months of bed rest. It also meant eliminating stress in her life. Fernanda had friends run errands and hired an assistant to handle chores. She also did a lot of meditating. "I noticed I was much more relaxed. I was very calm. I noticed how stressed out people around me were, because I had kind of just let a lot of things go," she says. Perinatologist Calvin Hobel, M.D., says stress can be bad for any expectant mother. "It changes the hormone production by the placenta which is now thought to be the biological clock that determines when labor starts," Dr. Hobel, of UCLA School of Medicine, tells Ivanhoe. In other words, too much stress, and the baby could be born prematurely. Dr. Hobel says, "The signal to the fetus is that if you want to survive, that you have to get out of the uterus early." He suggests pregnant women do what Fernanda did -- surround themselves with a support network. He suggests yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques. Fernanda agrees. "You know the groceries will wait, and the bills will wait, and a lot of things will wait," says Fernanda -- a healthy outlook for mom and baby. Doctors define a premature birth as one that occurs 20 to 37 weeks into the pregnancy. Dr. Hobel believes a developing fetus can be impacted by a mother's stress as early as 13 weeks after conception.

California SC Lifts Hold on Billions for Stem Cell Research

By Jason Dearen
With the state's Supreme Court decision clearing the way for the distribution of billions of dollars in grants, California will have more resources devoted to stem cell research than any country in the world. The ruling upheld a lower court, which rejected the plaintiff's claims that the state's newly created stem cell agency was tainted by conflicts of interest.

The California Supreme Court cleared the way for the state's stem cell research agency to distribute billions of dollars in grants when it turned back a last-ditch legal challenge Wednesday.

The state's high court declined to review a lower court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The litigation had prevented the agency from doling out US$3 billion in research grants.

"Today's action by the California Supreme Court is a victory for our state because potentially life-saving science can continue without a shadow of legal doubt," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The resolution of the suit means the agency can now borrow money from Wall Street bond dealers. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer "intends to move as quickly as possible" in managing the sale of billions of dollars in bonds to fund research grants, said spokesperson Tom Dresslar.

Robert Klein, who wrote the ballot initative that created the agency in 2004, said the court decision provides California with more resources for stem cell research than any other nation in the world.

The state high court had been asked by stem cell opponents to overturn the decision of a lower court, which had ruled in favor of the stem cell agency.

The plaintiff, the California Family Bioethics Council, had argued that the stem cell agency is corrupted by conflicts of interest. The council complained that university officials whose schools were applying for millions in research grants from the stem cell agency should not be on its oversight board.

As written, Proposition 71 dictates that those officials must recuse themselves when the board is considering an application from their schools.

Dana Cody, an attorney for the antiabortion group Life Legal Foundation, another plaintiff, said she was not surprised by the ruling.

"I'm really sad that California taxpayers are going to be funding experimental research when there's been great strides made in adult stem cell research," she said.

Scientists hope human embryonic stem cells can someday be used to replace diseased tissue.

Odds high, funds sparse for stem cell researchers

For all the hype and hope surrounding stem cell research, most of the companies trying to develop treatments from these powerful cells live in a place Governor Deval Patrick this week called the "valley of death." It is a harsh place where neither the federal government nor private investors provide much support and small firms with limited funding struggle to figure out how to harness stem cells' extraordinary power.

No one knows that better than Dr. Thomas Okarma , whose company, Geron Corp. , hopes next year to start the nation's first human tests of a treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. The California company has already spent years developing OPC1 as a possible therapy for spinal cord injuries. Researchers have had to inject 2,000 animals to show it was safe, grow the cells 75 times over to prove they could do it, and invent a needle to inject cells into the injury site. Even if human tests go well, federal approval probably won't happen for years. If tests go badly, foes of embryonic stem cell research are sure to pounce.

"The challenge . . . is not for the faint of heart or the light of purse," said Okarma, who says his company has invested more than $100 million in stem cell research to date.

The $1 billion life sciences initiative Patrick announced this week could provide a boost for stem cell companies that locate or start up in Massachusetts, in part by providing stable support through the many years it will take to realize the promise of stem cell treatments. Saying he intended to make the state the "capital of stem cell research on the planet," Patrick wants to set up an embryonic stem cell bank at the University of Massachusetts that would greatly reduce storage costs for the delicate cells and expand researchers' access to different types.

He proposed grants for lab equipment that could be used to work with the embryonic stem cells scientists are banned from studying with federally supported lab instruments, and grants to keep promising researchers from leaving the state.

The proposal would also provide a hand up from the "valley of death" in the form of short-term funding for companies to develop ideas until they can attract private investors, and possibly an actual "incubator" building where new stem cell companies could be housed. Many details of the 10-year plan remain to be decided, including how the money would be divided between stem cell research and other sciences, but stem cell researchers have been overwhelmingly positive about the assistance.

"This is really a long-term investment in Massachusetts not losing its premier role in life sciences," said John Auerbach, state public health commissioner.

But, even with the burgeoning aid from Massachusetts and other states, biotech executives at the BIO 2007 conference in Boston this week made it clear that researchers still face daunting hurdles in learning how to grow and manage both adult and embryonic stem cells and to get them to do something medically useful. Embryonic stem cell research is less than a decade old, they pointed out, and new fields of medicine typically take 20 years or more to produce results. One danger, several top stem cell scientists said, is that cash-strapped firms will rush into human testing before they answer basic questions, with potentially disastrous results.

Many stem cell pioneers "are dealing with things they don't know enough about to begin with, and then they're adding stuff to it," said Nancy Parenteau of Vermont-based Parenteau BioConsultants, referring to the growth enhancers and other chemicals that are used to manipulate stem cells. She noted that some researchers don't even know where the stem cells go once they're injected into a patient. She said the Massachusetts initiative could be great for the whole field if the state spurs more research on how stem cells work and why.

The Massachusetts investment could also discourage firms from following the lead of Advanced Cell Technology, a stem cell company that moved its corporate headquarters from Worcester to Alameda, Calif., a year and a half ago, partly to take advantage of California's Proposition 71, which made $3 billion available for stem cell research in that state over the next decade.

William M. Caldwell IV, Advanced Cell Technology chairman, called Patrick's move "long overdue," after former governor Mitt Romney's opposition to embryonic stem cell research. Now, Caldwell said, Massachusetts could have "the most user-friendly state from the standpoint of research and commercialization in the country." The company still has researchers in Worcester, and Caldwell said his firm may expand activities there.

Compared with most states, Massachusetts has a vibrant stem cell research community, led by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, which has 45 principal faculty members and more than 600 employees involved in stem cell research at Harvard-affiliated hospitals and labs. But the number of companies in the state trying to develop treatments from adult or embryonic stem cells remains tiny, a problem Caldwell sees across the country. "It's like a desert," he said.

Embryonic stem cells have inspired hope and controversy since University of Wisconsin researchers first isolated them in 1998. The cells are the body's master cells, capable of becoming any kind of tissue, raising the possibility that they could be coaxed to create replacement tissue for diseased and damaged organs. But some argue that the harvesting of stem cells from fertilized human embryos is unethical because it requires the destruction of the embryo . In August 2001, President Bush sided with critics, banning US funding for research on embryonic stem cells harvested after that date.

As a result, unlike those in other new scientific fields, embryonic stem cell researchers got almost no boost from the federal government: Nationally, they received only $122 million from the National Institutes of Health from 2002 to 2006, roughly the amount Geron alone has spent on stem cell research. NIH did provide $799 million over the same period for stem cells taken from adults, but the requirement that older and newer embryonic stem cells be strictly segregated discouraged many researchers from entering the stem cell field at all. And overall NIH funding for stem cells has not increased for three years, resulting in a steady rise in the percentage of studies that are rejected.

For Geron, dwindling federal support means that whenever the company needs a question answered it has to pay for the research. Fortunately for the company, animal tests of its stem cell therapy for spinal damage, OPC1, have produced some of the most remarkable results yet in stem cell research, consistently restoring rats' ability to use their hind legs. Geron is now ready to ask the US Food and Drug Administration for permission to begin testing the treatment in humans.

But Goldstein, who was not involved in the OPC1 research, said the clarity of the Geron findings is a rare exception in a field full of ambiguities.

The fear among researchers is that poorly-thought-out experiments could go so badly that the results damage the field much the way the 1999 death of Jesse Gelsinger, a healthy teenager, cast a shadow over another promising treatment, gene therapy.

"The ideological right is not asleep," said Robert Klein , chairman of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee in California, which oversees public stem cell funding. He cautioned that opponents of embryonic stem cell research will attempt to exploit setbacks in human trials. "There will be failures as well as successes. We must be patient."

Many Couples Choose To Donate Surplus Embryos For Stem Cell Research

Nearly 50% of couples who were interviewed at least 3 years after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) chose to donate their surplus, stored embryos for stem cell research, according to a report by the Spanish Stem Cell Bank in an April 26, 2007, advanced online publication of Cell Stem Cell, a new publication of Cell Press in affiliation with the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

The key to the couples' decisions, according to the authors of the report, was the complete and clear explanation of their options through an interview process with a legal advisor and embryologist, which helped couples navigate the confusing legal situation and address any concerns they might have had about donation for research purposes. While the findings reflect the interest level among couples in Spain--where the stem cell research environment is fairly open and people have traditionally been supportive of organ and tissue donation--the researchers believe that the results can be generalized to other countries.

"We are convinced that if this type of personal interview and survey were carried out in the U.S.A., at least 50% of the couples would be willing to donate their spare embryos for stem cell research," said Pablo Menendez, director of the Spanish Stem Cell Bank in Granada, Spain.

The new findings "contrast sharply" with a 2003 report, which found that, of 400,000 embryos stored at that time in U.S. fertility clinics, less than 3% were available for research purposes. However, that study was primarily designed to quantify the number of frozen embryos via questionnaires sent to couples before or shortly after their IVF cycles.

In the current study, the couples, who had undergone IVF at least 3 years earlier, were presented with four options for the fate of their surplus embryos. The researchers found that 49% of couples chose to donate their embryos for stem cell research, 44% decided to keep them in storage for their own future use, 7% opted to donate them to other infertile couples, and fewer than 1% made the decision to discard the embryos.

"Among the couples who did not want to increase their family, 90% support the donation of embryos to stem cell research in a Catholic country--and, most importantly, almost no couple wants just to destroy the embryos," Menendez said.

The researchers include Jose Luis Cortes, Fernando Cobo, Angela Barnie, and Pablo Menendez of the Spanish Stem Cell Bank (Andalusian Central Node), Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas in Granada, Spain; Guillermo Antiñolo of Unidad Clínica de Genética y Reproducción, Hospital de la Mujer, Hospitales Universitarios Virgen del Rocio in Sevilla, Spain; Luis Martínez of Unidad de Reproducción Asistida, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves in Granada, Spain; Agustín Zapata of Spanish Stem Cell Bank, Instituto de Salud Carlos III in Madrid, Spain.

This work has been funded by the Fundación Progreso y Salud (grants 0029/2006 and 0030/2006 to P.M.); Consejería de Salud; Junta de Andalucía, Spain; and the International Foundation Jose Carreras (FIJC-05/EDThomas 2006 to P.M.).

Cortes et al: "Spanish Stem Cell Bank Interviews Examine Couples' Interest in Donating Surplus Human IVF Embryos More Than 3 Years Old for Stem Cell Research." Publishing in the July 2007 issue of Cell Stem Cell.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Cell Press.

Lawmaker Pushes stem cell research in Michigan

Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- A three-bill package of bills that would lift restrictions on stem cell research in Michigan and increase penalties for cloning was unveiled this morning.

"Around the nation, state after state is saying yes to life and cures -- and yes, to jobs -- by embracing and investing in embryonic stem cell research. It's time for Michigan to do the same," said Rep. Andy Meisner, D-Ferndale, who is the main sponsor of the legislation. Gov. Jennifer Granholm supports it.

Meisner said this version is different than one that failed to go anywhere in the last legislative session.

The new package includes a $15 million fine against anyone who engages in cloning, up $5 million from the current penalty. It would keep intact the current 10-year felony for cloning.

It would also require informed, written consent from donors and prohibit donors from receiving any financial benefit for the donation.

Supporters say embryonic stem cell research offers hope in finding eventual cures to debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's, juvenile diabetes and spinal cord injuries.

Easing Michigan's restrictive law on stem cell research is opposed by influential groups such as the Michigan Catholic Conference and Right to Life of Michigan.

"There's no compromise here and all they've done is added some extra window dressing. This is the same legislation from last year with some bells and whistles," said Ed Rivet, legislative director of Michigan Right to Life.

"They want to legalize the creation of embryos by cloning so they can be destroyed for research purposes."

Danny Heumann, founder of the Daniel Heumann Fund for Spinal Cord Research, took part in this morning's news conference at the state Capitol. The 40-year-old attorney has been confined to a wheelchair for the last 22 years as the result of an automobile accident.

He said he doesn't hold out much hope that the legislation will act on the package of bills.

"I'm saddened that we're doing this again," Heumann said. "The Michigan Legislature doesn't hear the cries of the vulnerable citizens of the state."

He said the best alternative would be to launch a petition drive to place the issues before Michigan voters. But he said that campaign could cost as much as $20 million to run.

Senate Prepares For New Showdown Over Stem Cell Research Dollars

by Trish Turner
The Democratically controlled Senate is headed for yet another showdown with President Bush next week, this time over embryonic stem cell research paid for with taxpayer dollars.

On Wednesday, with the likely support of about a third of Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats are expected to pass a bill sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, that expands the field of embryonic stem cell research using federal dollars.

However, with much of the party leadership focused intensely on the recent imbroglio over the Iraq war spending bill, this year's debate has little of the fanfare of past fights.

But this year, Democrats are actually closer than ever before to getting the two-thirds majority needed to override the president's promised veto. In fact, based on past vote tallies and the positions of new members entering the Senate after the November election, the Senate is likely to come up one vote shy of the 66 votes needed for a veto override (if only Sen Tim Johnson, D-S.D., recovering from brain surgery, is absent for the vote).

Aides say the pressure is on politically vulnerable members like Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., who has voted against this research in the past.

The bill requires "the secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo."

Current Bush administration policy permits research on human embryonic stem cell lines that existed before the president announced the policy on August 10, 2001.

There are limitations in the Harkin bill. Stem cells can only be taken from excess human embryos that would otherwise be destroyed and are donated from in vitro fertilization, as long as donors give "written, informed consent and receive no financial or other inducements."

One bill that is not expected to pass but has garnered the support of the White House is sponsored by Republican Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Johnny of Georgia. It allows the use of federal funds for research with stem cells extracted from "dead" human embryos or extracted from embryos without destroying them. It would also promote the extraction of stem cells from other sources, like amniotic fluid.

Even if Senate Democrats can garner the votes needed to defy Bush, the fate of embryonic stem cell research is likely to be unchanged this year. The House passed a similar measure to Harkin's in January, but it fell well short of the two-thirds majority needed for a veto override.

Opponents have condemned this kind of research as unethical and immoral because it involves destroying human embryos which have the potential, they say, to become human life.

More Govs Boost Stem Cell Research

By Christine Vestal
As Congress and the Bush administration remain deadlocked over funding for stem cell research, three new Democratic governors have joined other state leaders in supporting the controversial science.

Last week, New York's Eliot Spitzer won legislative approval for $600 million for stem cell research and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts began trying to undo a state regulation that hinders the research there. Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signed a law in February repealing that state's ban on the nascent science.

All three - newcomers to the governor's mansion -- pledged to support stem cell research in their election campaigns. They join a half-dozen other governors from both parties - including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R), Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) -- who have backed the research for its promised medical breakthroughs and potential economic rewards.

Since August 9, 2001, when President George W. Bush curtailed federal funding of stem cell research, states have stepped in to keep the fledgling science afloat by providing state money and removing legal barriers to its practice.

Last July, Bush exercised his first presidential veto by refusing to sign a bill that would have expanded federal funding for the science. This year, the new Democratic-led U.S. House passed the same bill - releasing money for stem cell research using surplus embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics - and the U.S. Senate is expected to approve the same bill. But political analysts say Congress is not likely to muster enough votes to override a promised presidential veto.

Although a recent ABC survey showed the American public favors government funding of stem cell studies by a margin of two to one, Bush and his anti-abortion allies remain opposed because they say it violates the sanctity of human life by destroying embryos.

Democrats are united in supporting the science, along with such high-profile Republicans as Nancy Reagan, whose loved ones have had Alzheimers' and other diseases that might be ameliorated by the research.

New York's new budget measure will make the Empire State the sixth state - California, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland are the others -- to finance stem cell research. It would create the second largest state research fund in the country - $600 million over 11 years. California's grant program is the largest, setting aside $3 billion over 10 years to support the research.

Wisconsin -- where the research was developed -- does not provide state grants, but Doyle has set secured and private money to build a research institute where stem cell studies may be conducted.

Both Spitzer and his predecessor, Republican Gov. George Pataki, pushed lawmakers to approve stem cell funding in part to attract investment to the state's economically depressed upstate region, home to stem cell leaders Cornell University, University of Rochester and other medical research centers.

Patrick's proposed change to public health rules would lift a barrier to the research created by his Republican predecessor, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, an opponent of stem cell research.

In 2005, the Massachusetts legislature overrode Romney's veto and repealed a previous law requiring local district attorneys to approve all scientific research involving human embryos. The new law set up ethical guidelines and granted blanket approval to studies involving surplus human embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics. Romney subsequently moved administratively to block the research.

At Patrick's request, the Massachusetts Dept. of Health and Human Services is expected to nullify Romney's action. In February, Culver signed a law repealing a 2002 stem cell research ban. Iowa's new law removes the state from a list of six - Michigan, Arkansas, Louisiana, Indiana, North Dakota and South Dakota -- that currently ban the science.

UNLOCKING PROMISE OF STEM CELLS - But Research Brings Ethical Questions

BY MARTHA STODDARD -- Lincoln Journal Star

Lymphoma struck Rochelle Dyer eight years earlier than it had hit her father. He was 35 when the Hodgkin's disease made its first appearance. Four rounds later — in 1991 — he died. She was 27 when a chronic cough, vomiting and loss of appetite sent her to the doctor last summer. But the Lincoln woman has a better chance of beating her disease for good because of a treatment called peripheral stem cell transplant pioneered at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
After several rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors on her lung and spleen, the treatment involved taking a relatively small number of cells from her blood, killing off her immune system, and giving the cells back to make her whole again.

Dyer got her cells back on Dec. 13. They multiplied many times over within the next few days. Some repopulated her bone marrow. Some turned into oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Others became infection-fighting white blood cells. She left the hospital at the end of 2000 — heading home to her husband, Trevor, and 16-month-old son, Ethan. "After this I won't have any more chemotherapy," she said. "I'll get strong and go on. They said this will do it, this will fix me."

It's miraculous still, although the treatment has been used with success for more than a decade. It relies on blood stem cells — unique cells that renew themselves indefinitely and produce the specialized blood cells of the body.
Blood stem cells have given thousands of cancer patients like Dyer another shot at life. But what if those cells — or other types of stem cells — could be harnessed to save millions more lives? What if they could replace heart muscle cells killed by heart attacks? Or restore insulin-producing beta cells in diabetics?
What if they could build nerve bridges across severed spinal cords? Regenerate dopamine-producing brain cells for people with Parkinson's disease? Rev up the immune systems of people infected with HIV? Or grow new skin for burn patients? Those are among the dreams of scientists involved with stem cell research.

"The way things are going, I won't call it science fiction, but a real possibility," said Iqbal Ahmad, a molecular and cellular biologist who directs the Medical Center's Neural Stem Cell Research Program in Omaha. Turning that possibility into reality faces many hurdles, not the least of which is a political, ethical and legal debate over acceptable sources of stem cells.

At their most basic, stem cells are cells that can divide indefinitely and produce more specialized cells. The very first cell of a human's life -- the fertilized egg -- is a stem cell.
It is called totipotent because it can do it all. From it grows the embryo and the placenta, the amniotic sac and the developing fetus. Descendants of that cell comprise the more than 200 types of specialized cells that make the human body function. All of the 100 or so cells that form week-old embryos are stem cells, too. They already have lost some potential — they cannot form a placenta or amniotic sac. But they are pluripotent and can become any other part of the developing human.
That broad potential makes embryonic stem cells the focus of considerable excitement among both scientists and patient groups. Two teams of researchers — one in Wisconsin and one in Maryland — have already figured how to keep embryonic stem cells alive in the laboratory. And a world of promise opens up if scientists can figure out how to steer them down desired paths.

The cells could unlock the mysteries of human development and show what goes wrong in some babies. They could be used to test drugs and chemicals, showing how they affect human cells without putting human beings at risk.
And they could provide the cells, and maybe even organs, needed to return diseased or damaged bodies to health. "Almost any disease or injury that you can imagine. anything from spina bifida to spinal cord injury could be treated," said Daniel Perry, chairman of the national Patients Coalition for Urgent Research.
But using human embryonic stem cells means destroying an embryo, which many call an unethical and immoral act that should put the research off limits despite its promise. "There's the basic principle that we apply and that ethics applies and that is: Do no harm. Research should be at the service of life and not the other way around," said Greg Schleppenbach, director of the Catholic Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities.

By the time humans are born, and after they grow up, they still have stem cells — adult, multipotent stem cells with more limited potential. Each type of adult stem cell produces only a few types of body tissue — only blood cells or only skin cells or only intestinal cells. And some types of body tissue don't appear to have stem cells.
These cells are valuable. Just ask Dyer and others who have been treated with blood stem cells. But they can't do as much as their embryonic counterparts. At least that's been the established belief. Yet every month brings new reports about stem cell discoveries, based on both embryonic and adult, animal and human cells. And with every report, it seems a little more of the previously accepted biological knowledge disappears.
"You have to be very careful with dogma in this field," said J. Graham Sharp, a Medical Center cell biologist who heads a cluster of adult stem cell research projects. "So much of it has been overturned."

Take Ahmad's work, for example. Until four years ago, he taught students the brain could not renew itself, that humans are born with a set of brain cells that would have to carry them through their whole lives. "That dogma was so deeply entrenched that even in the face of overwhelming evidence, it persisted," he said.
The evidence came from both animal and human sources. Some 30 years ago, researchers found a dividing population of cells in the learning center of rat brains. Dividing cells are a hallmark of stem cells. Star Researchers also knew that olfactory neurons, or nerve cells, in the nose regenerate. They have to, or humans and other animals soon would lose the ability to smell.
Olfactory neurons are part of the brain, Ahmad said, but they were dismissed as a special case. More research showed that the brains of songbirds — even adult birds — undergo tremendous change from season to season. Then scientists found that the new olfactory neurons develop deep inside the brain and migrate to the nose. They come from stem cells along the ventricle, or cavity, in the center of the brain.

Finally, a series of experiments with animals showed the brain indeed has stem cells, that those cells will grow in the laboratory and can be induced to form a variety of brain cells — including neurons and supporting cells — and that the laboratory-produced cells can repair brain damage in mice. "There was emerging evidence that neurons could be replaced," Ahmad said. "There are new neurons, whether it is in response to injury or it is in response to new requirements."
His own research started with a related question. He knew the retina is an extension of the brain. So if stem cells could replace the missing brain cells in mice with a version of Lou Gehrig's disease, could they replace the damaged cells of rats with retinitis pigmentosa?
Using rat embryonic stem cells, he found the answer was yes. But would it work in humans? To know that answer, he had to find a source of human stem cells. And federal funding was banned for work with human embryonic stem cells at that time.

Ahmad started his search with what he knew of frogs and bony fish eyes. He discovered stem cells at the same place in human eyes as in the eyes of those creatures, lying dormant in the ciliary body. That body surrounds the lens of the eye and maintains proper pressure in the eyeball.
Stem cells from the ciliary body, he found, tend toward creating retina cells. Yet when transplanted into other parts of the brain they can become any of the three main types of brain cells. "We found they are very plastic," he said. "Not only does it divide but it is plastic enough to give rise to neurons and glia and astrocytes. In a heterotopic site, it acquires the property of that site." Ahmad's research opens up the possibility of finding a ready source of stem cells for transplanting into people with brain diseases. Donor eyes already are commonly taken from cadavers.
Maybe, some day, stem cells could be cultured from those eyes and transplanted into people suffering with Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease, stroke or head injury, to replace their damaged brain cells. Or maybe small pieces of the ciliary body could be surgically removed from people with brain diseases, the stem cells cultured and given back to heal them.
"The way things are moving, I don't think it is far off that stem cells taken from adult human beings could be transplanted," Ahmad said.

So why the need for a debate about the sources of stem cells? Why not just use adult stem cells, which almost everyone agrees is moral and ethical? Pro-life groups often make that argument, along with calling for a ban on human embryonic stem cell research and use.
A position statement from Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics, founded by a number of scientists, said: "Destruction of human embryonic life is unnecessary for medical progress, as alternative methods of obtaining human stem cells and of repairing and regenerating human tissue exist and continue to be developed."
But many scientists — even those whose work focuses on adult stem cells — are unwilling to close off the avenue of embryonic stem cell research.

"The data is not there," argued the Medical Center's Sharp. "We have absolutely no idea what the true potential of adult stem cells are versus embryonic stem cells and fetal stem cells without doing comparison. "I think it would be very dangerous to make that assumption that adult stem cells can do everything." Medical Center Chancellor Harold Maurer said the questions researchers want to find answers for also affect which type of stem cell should be used. "We hope that adult stem cells can be made into 100 percent (as useful as embryonic stem cells)," he said, "but that's not where the science is, at this point, so we're looking at other alternatives."

So far, the Medical Center has not started any research using human embryonic stem cells, Maurer said. But Sharp is heading up a cluster of projects aimed at finding out more about what adult stem cells can do. In one project, Ahmad is trying to figure out whether adult blood stem cells can produce brain cells. So far, the answer appears to be yes.
The next step is to see whether stem cells from umbilical cord blood can do the same. "It could work out that all stem cells in adults are the same," noted Dr. Anne Kessinger, an oncologist and associate director for clinical research at the Medical Center's Eppley Cancer Center. A pioneer in the treatment given Dyer, Kessinger is studying why some people crank out blood stem cells in response to growth factors and others don't.

Other Medical Center researchers are looking at ways to pick out adult stem cells from ordinary cells, whether adult stem cells can grow new blood vessels and new heart muscle in damaged hearts, whether liver stem cells can carry new genes into a diseased organ and whether stem cells can be found in human lungs. Those experiments and others going on in laboratories around the world may yield more miraculous treatments based on adult stem cells.
But adult stem cells haven't been found for every type of tissue and no one knows how well they will work at various tasks, Sharp said. Can adult stem cells from the eye produce neurons that will make the right kinds of connections with other brain cells, for example? How long can the new neurons live? Can adult stem cells produce enough neurons to make a difference? Will they cause unforeseen side effects? Many of the same questions remain to be answered for embryonic stem cells as well. Ahmad has been able to use animal embryonic stem cells to find his answers. But that wouldn't work for all research questions, he said. "We have been lucky that so far it has worked fine."

Supporters of embryonic stem cell research argue that only research on both types of stem cells can show whether one yields better answers than the other. "Patient organizations have said we should push ahead on adult stem cells and we should push ahead on embryonic stem cells and fetal germ stem cells," said Perry of the national Patients Coalition for Urgent Research. "Because patient needs are so critical that we cannot afford to only do research on adult stem cells and then find out it won't work."
Martha Stoddard

'Sunshine Week'? GOP in secret talk on stem cells

Jason Garcia Tallahassee Bureau Posted March 15 2007
TALLAHASSEE -- The day before Gov. Charlie Crist signed a proclamation recognizing "Sunshine Week" and open government in Florida, dozens of Republican House members met in private to discuss stem-cell research, one of the most contentious issues facing the Legislature this year.

The Monday evening meeting at Florida State University's University Club was organized by the Republican Party of Florida and featured a presentation by a Utah professor who has been critical of embryonic stem-cell research.

The meeting, first reported by the Palm Beach Post, has drawn scrutiny from open-government advocates. The Florida Constitution requires that any meeting of three or more legislators regarding pending legislation be open to the public.

Lawmakers who attended the meeting insisted they did not discuss specific legislation, even though several bills related to stem cells have been filed this year. They said it was merely an opportunity to educate members about a broad issue.

"It was just a meeting for people interested in learning the science of stem-cell research, and the facts," said House Majority Whip Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale. "There was no discussion of any legislation.

There was no discussion of anything other than a scientist presenting slides."
Jason Garcia

Senate OKs Stem Cell Research

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The Illinois Senate voted Friday to spend state tax dollars on embryonic stem cell research, despite objections from those who argue the research destroys human life.

The measure passed 35-23 and now goes to the Illinois House.

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich has already used his executive powers to fund stem cell research. He created the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute, which has awarded $15 million in grants.

The Senate legislation would make the institute and its grants a part of state law.

Supporters say embryonic stem cells could yield treatments for a wide variety of diseases, including diabetes and Alzheimer's. They argue the cells are taken only from embryos created for in vitro fertilization that would otherwise be discarded.

"They go into the public sewer system. I really believe my maker would want me to use these embryos to sustain and improve human life," said one supporter, Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale.

But opponents condemn the research because it involves the destruction of human embryos.

"Obviously we all want cures to diseases. The question is, what are willing to sacrifice to get them?" said Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora. "The unique identity of an individual human being disappears for eternity."

Some senators also questioned the idea of spending money on the research when the state is already in trouble financially.

California Appellate Court Panel Upholds Constitutionality Of State Proposition Promoting Embryonic Stem Cell Research

A three-judge panel of the California First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco on Monday ruled unanimously that California's Proposition 71 -- approved by voters in 2004 to provide $3 billion for human embryonic stem cell research -- is constitutional, the New York Times reports (Pollack, New York Times, 2/27).

State voters in November 2004 approved Proposition 71 to provide $295 million annually for 10 years for human embryonic stem cell research, and two taxpayer groups and the California Family Bioethics Council in 2005 filed a lawsuit arguing that the measure violates the state constitution.

California Superior Court Judge Bonnie Sabraw in April 2006 ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show the proposition "is clearly, positively and unmistakably unconstitutional," adding that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee -- which are charged with implementing Proposition 71 -- "are operating in the same fashion as other state agencies." The plaintiffs appealed the ruling.

Until the suits are resolved, CIRM is unable to sell state bonds required to fund the program, institute officials have said. The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Finance Committee in November 2006 unanimously approved a $181 million loan to CIRM, which includes $150 million from the state's general fund ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and $31 million from private donations (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 2/16).

Ruling, Reaction
The three-judge panel on Monday upheld Sabraw's decision that found that the program did not violate the structure of ballot initiatives, rules regarding conflicts of interest or laws concerning state spending, the Times reports. The panel's 58-page ruling said Proposition 71 "suffers from no constitutional or other legal infirmity" (New York Times, 2/27).

Robert Klein, chair of the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee, said he believed the court's decision likely would allow for the sale of bonds and full funding allotted for stem cell research in the state. "The decision will help us a great deal in trying to achieve our objective of having the [state] Supreme Court refuse to hear an appeal," Klein said (Los Angeles Times, 2/27).

Dana Cody -- executive director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, which represents People's Advocate, a plaintiff in the lawsuit -- said she is disappointed with the decision and not sure if the plaintiffs would appeal (Johnson, San Jose Mercury News, 2/27). "We're going to read the decision carefully, and then we'll consult with our clients," Cody said, adding, "Chances are we probably will" appeal (Los Angeles Times, 2/27).

Schwarzenegger said, "Today's ruling is a victory. I always believed the courts would uphold the will of California voters." He added, "I'm also proud of California's leadership. We have already awarded the first round of grants to researchers to begin work on this potentially life-saving science" (Schwarzenegger release, 2/26). Schwarzenegger has said he would authorize more loans to the agency as necessary (Kravets, AP/Houston Chronicle, 2/27).

House Approves Cloning for Stem-Cell Research

Des Moines Legislation repealing Iowa's 5-year-old ban on therapeutic human cloning for stem-cell research is on its way to Gov. Chet Culver, who made overturning the ban one of his campaign priorities.

The repeal will be a ``major step forward in the helping of our citizens by allowing basic scientific research on some of the most deadly diseases to be applied in the form of treatments right here in Iowa,'' said floor manager Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames.

Unlike the Senate, which approved Senate File 162 in less than an hour last week, the House debated the bill for more than four hours before voting 52-45 to approve it.

The vote in the Senate was 26-24 with four Democrats and 20 Republicans voting against the measure. Culver praised the lawmakers' decision and said he looks forward to signing the bill.

The research enabled by this initiative has the potential to unveil cures for debilitating and life-threatening illnesses,'' Culver said through a spokesman last night. ``I am very pleased the Iowa House has joined the Iowa Senate in lifting our state's restrictive ban on lifesaving embryonic stem-cell research.''

Iowa law does not ban stem-cell research. At least a dozen UI research projects are under way using several types of stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells, which some people consider controversial. The 2002 ban on cloning does not distinguish between reproductive purposes and therapeutic purposes, which restricts how scientists can use stem cells in their research.

Heddens said her bill would remove that barrier and open the door to the possibility of cures.

Opponents of the bill, many who cited their religious beliefs as the basis of their opposition, ``want to take away hope from people dying from debilitating diseases,'' Heddens said.``What do you say to the individuals and families that are looking for a cure to diabetes and Parkinson's disease?'' she said. ``Too bad? Go somewhere else for the latest treatment?''

The real hope for cures, cloning opponents said, is in research on adult stem cells, postnatal tissue and fluid, such as the placenta, umbilical cord, umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid.

``This represents a positive way of bringing us all together to support stem-cell research,'' Rep. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll, said. ``This particular kind of research has great potential for finding those particular therapies and cures that we're all very interested in finding and applying.''

He and others argued therapeutic cloning created life merely for the purpose of destroying it for research purposes.

``This is about human cloning. Don't let them fool you,'' Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, said. ``It's taking life to maybe, maybe preserve life. I don't think the Bible gives us the right to make that trade.''

Culver, however, sees the research as a ``moral obligation'' and has proposed spending $12.5 million for a Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Iowa that, he said, will help retain faculty and aid job and business creation in the Corridor.

Connecticut's stem cell research

by News Channel 8's Jocelyn Maminta
Posted Feb. 15, 2007 6:20 PM (Farmington-WTNH)_
Connecticut has moved beyond the ethical debate and has now committed millions of tax dollars to stem cell research. This month $20 million will be released for 21 projects, including work by UConn researchers that could benefit more Americans than you might imagine.

Increasingly American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home with critical injuries with limited options. "Those injuries are so severe that usually all that can be done is amputation," Dr. David Rowe said.

Now there's hope. Researchers at UConn Health Center are using mice stem cells to regenerate bone tissue in animals successfully. Dr. Rowe, the lead investigator says the state stem cell money will allow the use of human embryonic stem cells putting research on the fast track. "If we can put those cells back into that region then rebuild the bone we have a possibility of correcting those defects."

But Dr. Rowe is quick not to over-promise. "The problem is we can't get the corrected cells back to their bones, so we're hoping that we will learn how to get the corrected cells back into the bone and get them distributed."

What they discover here could also apply to debilitating bone diseases like osteo-genesis imperfecta.

"It just means you break your bones really easily and you don't grow as tall," says Alysse Furber, who was born with the brittle bone disease.

"I've had over 150 broken bones in my lifetime." Any medical breakthrough she says would have an impact. "Personally I know I can deal with my disease, but I know there's a lot of people out there who are having a harder time than me," she said.

Also at UConn researchers are hard at work growing existing lines of human embryonic stem cells in culture dishes."Once the cells cover the entire plate they will then be harvested and frozen," researcher Sierra Root said.

But these cells are grown with animal products. The state dollars would allow the development of new lines without animal products, creating a better quality of cells to be used for groundbreaking research that many are optimistic will improve their quality of life.
All the researchers I interviewed spoke about how the state stem cell money is creating a sense of community in sharing knowledge. An international stem cell symposium will be held in March in Hartford.

For more information visit http://stemconn.org

GlobalStem Blazes New Trails in Stem Cell Research

By Karen Buckelew
The political and ethical firestorm over embryonic stem cell research might scare more than a few entrepreneurs away from the issue. But for Jonathan M. Auerbach, the debate is part of what makes the field enticing. Auerbach, president and CEO of GlobalStem Inc. in Rockville, founded the company last March to provide himself and his fellow researchers an innovative inroad into the burgeoning area of science.

As a neuroscientist, Auerbach said he had become accustomed to people's eyes glazing over as he described his work. But now that he specializes in stem cell work, that is no longer the case. "People know about it, people are watching it," he said. "It's exciting." The controversy has its downside as well, he conceded. Restrictions on federal funding for studies involving embryonic stem cell research have stunted the field's growth, Auerbach said. But state programs like Maryland's $15 million stem cell research fund and California's $3 billion fund are helping keep the field afloat. "The government restrictions are not really limiting [the research], but slowing things down," Auerbach said.

There are several stem cell firms in Maryland, including Osiris Therapeutics Inc. of Baltimore, which work with adult stem cells. Osiris went public last year. NeuralStem works on treatments for central nervous system disorders. The stem cell field seemed healthy enough to lure Auerbach from his secure job at a Manassas, Va., cell repository to start GlobalStem. Five of his co-workers from the American Type Culture Collection have since joined him. The company began with funding from Toucan Capital Corp., a Bethesda-based venture capital firm. GlobalStem now sells research supplies to academic scientists working with stem cells. That includes reagents such as the substance in which the cells are grown and the feeder cells that form a bed on which they thrive.

The firm is midway through developing a full array of services to provide to those same academic researchers. Auerbach plans to create a sort of one-stop shop for scientists in the field. "We're making the tools available that will help move the research forward," the CEO said. Its leaders hope GlobalStem one day will branch out into developing therapeutics as well. But the company's business plan is to begin at the beginning. "Everybody's talking about the promise of these cells and bringing them to the clinic and curing disease," Auerbach said. "We're not ready yet. What's needed right now - is a lot of upfront help for basic research." That's not to say Auerbach and his colleagues don't believe in the promise of stem cells. The founder saw the science's potential with his own eyes while doing research a decade ago at the National Institutes of Health. Implanting stem cell-derived neurons into the brains of rats with Parkinson's disease, Auerbach and his fellow researchers watched the new neurons function healthily, even in the diseased environment. It's the kind of potential, the scientist said, that keeps the field alive despite the federal restrictions.

Researchers also must contend with intellectual property held by the University of Wisconsin, where stem cells first were isolated. Companies must skirt the procedures and cell lines for which the university holds patents. Those patents currently are being re- examined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, at the request of consumer groups. The field "could be healthier," said Linzhao Cheng, an associate professor in the stem cell program at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Cell Engineering. "I respect other opinions," Cheng said of those who oppose stem cell research, including anti-abortion activists who decry the destruction of the embryos involved. "But the limitations from federal agencies is one of those important issues that is still going on." Auerbach said GlobalStem is carefully avoiding infringing on the University of Wisconsin's intellectual property while developing its technology. For example, for its in-house work the firm uses slightly imperfect human cancer stem cells rather than licensing embryonic cells. The cells are useful for developing tests, but not therapeutics.

A key service GlobalStem hopes to offer is characterizing stem cells for researchers. Embryonic stem cells are believed to be pluripotent - that is, they have the potential to become virtually any type of cell in the human body. In fact, they are quite prone to become other cells, Auerbach said. It is difficult to keep the stem cells stable before guiding them to the type of cell needed. Characterizing the cells, he explained, is determining if they have started to become a certain type of cell - for example, neural cells that would form neurons.

For such tests, researchers ordinarily have to shop around to various companies, Auerbach said. But GlobalStem, he hopes, will offer it all - from the substance in which the cells grow to the feeder cells that keep them alive to the tests that characterize them. The full set of tests should be completed in about six months. "We're trying to have a core set of these assays," the scientist said of the tests the company is developing. "We'll do it all in one place for you." The company does not need to worry about intellectual property just yet, Auerbach said. GlobalStem will keep the reagents as trade secrets, without seeking patents. The tests one day will likely be patented, but probably not for some time. Auerbach acknowledged there is competition in the field, though it is sparse. He compared GlobalStem to a microbrewery among the likes of Anheuser-Busch. "We're like your home-brewed beer," he said. "We carefully make [the brews]; carefully check them to make sure everything is right. We don't mass-produce things."

At Johns Hopkins, Cheng switched last fall from a larger provider of feeder cells and media to GlobalStem. The types of services and products the company aspires to provide do exist, he added - but not in one place. "The cost is high," Cheng said, "and it's not centralized. We spend a lot of time just to find the individual expert who is good at a particular task." Auerbach is just excited to be part of it all, he said: "It's a young field, moving very quickly as far as the science goes. It's fun so far."
(c) 2007 The Daily Record (Baltimore). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Culver Wants Ban on Stem Cell Research Lifted

Last Thursday, Governor Chet Culver called on this state legislature to lift the ban on embryonic stem cell research while speaking at the University of Iowa’s Medical Education and Research Facility.

Culver then announced his plans to spend $12.5 million of the state’s budget to construct the Iowa Center for Regenerative Medicine in Iowa City to “restore hope for thousands of Iowans.”

Doctors believe embryonic stem cell research has the potential to benefit those suffering from Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes. “Simply lifting the ban will not be enough,” said Governor Culver. “We must commit state resources now to finding a cure and ensuring a high quality of life for future generations.

Right now, Iowa is at a competitive disadvantage with other states.” Dr. Barton Berquist, a UNI biology professor, believes that, in theory, the idea of using embryonic stem cells could be helpful ,but the proposal by the governor will be controversial.

“There is a lot of merit in embryonic stem cell research, but the fact of the matter is there are a lot of other places to get stem cells. “This suggests that we should spend more time investigating other avenues that have benefits and are less controversial.”

Deidre Connell, former president of UNI Right to Life, agrees that although stem cell research may be beneficial, using embryonic stem cells is not an issue she would like to see tax dollars spent on.

“They would be using human embryos when they haven’t been proven to work in previous studies. I don’t want to spend money on something that hasn’t been proven to work. It’s a morally questionable process, and I am also against it for those reasons.”

The governor believes that lifting the ban on stem cell research would keep Iowa competitive with other states that are now using embryonic stem cell facilities. “While surrounding states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri are moving forward to build research facilities, lure away our researchers and pass new legislation allowing embryonic stem cell research, Iowa continues to tie the hands of our best health science professionals with an outdated ban on this lifesaving research,” stated Culver.

The stem cell research center was the first budget proposal that Culver announced publicly. The rest of Culver’s proposed budget plans were announced on Tuesday in a joint session with Iowa legislature.

Another of Culver’s proposals includes a $1 tax on tobacco products, which he believes will “generate approximately 140 million dollars in new revenue the first year and save more than 17,000 lives.”

The revenue created by this tax would go towards providing health insurance to more than 250,000 needy children and 6,500 currently uninsured parents.

Culver also spoke about bringing more jobs to Iowa by creating the Iowa Power Fund and increasing teacher pay to 25th in the country.

The proposed $70 million increase would be the largest salary increase for teachers in the history of the state.

Governor Meets With Bishops Over Stem Cell Research - Yahoo News

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson gave lawmakers plenty to do when he set out his agenda in the State of the State Address. In that 10-page, 38-minute speech, stem cell research was only a single sentence, but it's still drawing the attention of New Mexico's Catholic bishops.

That's why Richardson and leaders of the Catholic Church sat down on Thursday to talk policy.

Six million dollars in the governor's budget would go toward a new research facility at UNM, funded entirely by state money. That means it wouldn't be subject to a ban on federal money going toward embryonic stem cell research, which was an intentional move by Richardson.

The archbishop of Santa Fe gathered with New Mexico's two other Catholic bishops to voice their concerns over the proposed facility. The Catholic Church is against embryonic stem cell research, but the biships wanted the governor to know the church supports adult stem cell research, as well as work on stem cells from amniotic fluid and umbilical cords.

Richardson, who is a Catholic, was not availible for comment, but he did tell the bishops he is taking their concerns very seriously.

Assembly to Tackle Stem Cell Research

Two Alexandria Democrats want to open Virginia's doors to embryonic stem cell research during a time when a majority of the state legislature wants to close them.

Dels. Brian J. Moran and Mark D. Sickles of Alexandria announced Wednesday that they will be introducing bills in next week's General Assembly session that would authorize stem cell research using human embryos in Virginia colleges and universities.

"There is a potential to cure what are now incurable diseases. We should be in the business of doing that," Moran said in an interview on Wednesday.

Sickles' bill would allow the Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Fund to pay for embryonic stem cell research in addition to research using adult stem cells, said Mark Bergman, spokesman for the Joint Democratic Legislative Caucus.

Moran said Virginia law is silent to embryonic stem cell research, although it does allow adult stem cell research in state institutions.

Adult stem cells come from umbilical cord blood collected after a baby is born.

Unlike embryonic cells, umbilical cord blood cells can develop into a limited number of cell types. Embryonic cells can mature into any cell type.

Last year a measure pushed by Republican House leaders nearly gained approval. It would have prohibited embryonic stem cell research at state laboratories, but it died in conference committee.

Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, called Moran's proposal an "ideological move that has nothing to do with saving anyone from Parkinson's, heart disease or diabetes."

Moran, however, said "We should be able to look [those patients] in the eye and tell them we're doing everything we can to improve their life."

Moran said he hopes his bill will be referred to the House committee on health, welfare and institutions, of which he is a member.

Marshall chairs the joint legislative subcommittee on medical, ethical and scientific issues relating to stem cell research, and is firmly opposed to embryonic stem cell research.

He said complications when collecting eggs from women for the process of in vitro fertilization are risky.

"It's not working all. The experimental trials are bad news," Marshall said. "What Moran and Sickles is doing is befuddling. There is no future for the embryo."

Moran disagreed and said embryos have enormous potential.

"We'll never know if the research isn't conducted," Moran said. "It's a catch-22."

His proposed bill does not authorize money to fund research, nor does it dictate the source of embryos.

Next week the General Assembly will begin addressing these submitted bills, including two that Marshall is proposing that could further adult stem cell research.

One of those bills urges the continuation of a study that the joint subcommittee on stem cell research is performing.

Another bill advocates the Department of Health to seek federal money to support the Virginia Cord Blood Bank Initiative.

That initiative would create a statewide resource for locating cord blood for clinical research and for treatment of injured residents, according to the bill.

Cord blood is an experimental stem cell source, but has been used to treat breast cancer, Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia, osteoporosis, sickle cell disease and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to the National Cord Blood Program in New York. By LILLIAN KAFKA
lkafka@potomancews.com
Thursday, January 4, 2007

Area vo-tech students doing stem-cell research.

By RANDY GRIFFITH
The Tribune-Democrat

The white-coated lab worker leans over the microscope, checking progress of a culture from the latest stem cell research.

It could be a day at one of a growing number of biotechnology businesses in the region, but this lab is at Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center.

And the lab worker is Mandi Pribulsky, a 16-year-old Ferndale junior who trades her lab coat for a cheerleader uniform after class.

Johnstown vo-tech students may be among the first in the nation doing stem cell research for a major pharmaceutical company’s project.

“I really like it,” Pribulsky said. “I like telling what’s wrong with people, so I can try to help them.”

The students in Rosalind Servinsky’s biotech program are studying fat stem cells for Lampire Biological Laboratories of Everett.

It’s the vo-tech’s second project using Lampire’s cell culture bags. Last year, students showed how hamster ovary cells thrived better in the unique, breathable plastic bags than in traditional glass beakers.

“This year we are moving into stem cell research,” Servinsky said. “We will look at how fat stem cells grow in the bag and in the flask. Where do they grow better and live longer?”

Stem cells have the ability to transform into other types of cells. Unlike controversial embryonic stem cells from fertilized human eggs, fat stem cells are taken from adults.

In theory, these cells can be used to make life-saving tissue or organs.

A preliminary Lampire study had a puzzling, but promising result. Fat stem cells changed to adult stem cells in the culture bags, Servinsky said.

“They want to see if we can duplicate this research,” Servinsky said. “This could be a tremendous break-through for them to find the trigger to make these cells become another type of cell.”

The students’ Lampire work grew out of Adventures in Biotechnology, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative.

The 10-year-old tissue engineering organization was founded to establish Southwestern Pennsylvania as a hub for research, education and commercial development of tissue-related therapies. It has become a nationally recognized leader in the field, said Joan Schanck, director of education.

School programs like Adventures in Biotechnology are designed to introduce students to the growing regional industry.

“The goal is to provide students with applied experiences in science, technology and engineering,” Schanck said, noting the students get to see lab work in corporate and university environments.

“It is being exposed to the technology,” she said. “It’s being exposed to what professionals look like in the field.”

Challenging hands-on work in the vo-tech bioscience lab prompted junior Gary Edwards of Beaverdale to change his course of study from the vo-tech’s security program.

“After seeing what they did last year, it really amazed me,” Edwards said.