Stem cell foundation greeted by cautious optimism
BMJ 2005; 331 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7523.982-b (Published 27 October 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;331:982Data supplement
Stem cell foundation greeted by cautious optimism
Los AngelesNorra MacReady
The establishment of the World Stem Cell Foundation, announced earlier this month by Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University, is being greeted as a step forward in the contentious area of stem cell research.
Professor Hwang is considered the leading expert in somatic cell nuclear transfer, or therapeutic cloning. His was the first laboratory to clone a dog, an Afghan hound named Snuppy (BMJ 2005;331:366). He and his colleagues also made headlines when they successfully cloned human stem cells and created disease specific embryonic stem cell lines without fertilised embryos.
In therapeutic cloning, mature cell nuclei are injected into oocytes, from which the nucleus has been removed. The oocytes are then allowed to develop into embryos.
In an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, Susan Okie wrote that this is the most promising way to make patient and disease specific stem cell lines, but it is also the most ethically troubling because it involves the creation and destruction of embryos just for that purpose, and the recruitment of egg donors (2005;353:1645). The World Stem Cell Foundation is seen as a way to circumvent the legal and political barriers in some countries to this controversial process.
The foundation’s headquarters will be in Seoul, with satellite laboratories in Oxford and San Francisco. Investigators at all three sites will harvest ova from local donors and do therapeutic cloning at the satellite laboratories. They will then take the cells to the main laboratory in Seoul for development into embryonic stem cell lines. Ultimately, the foundation expects to develop as many as 100 cell lines each year. The lines will not be patented.
The goal is to have a bank of stem cells that investigators around the world can draw upon. The South Korean government is financing the operation in Seoul, but Professor Hwang has stated that he expects projects in other countries to be funded privately.
In her article, Dr Okie said that some US scientists were concerned that keeping the base of operations in Seoul might slow their own efforts to develop proficiency in therapeutic cloning. And the ethical questions remain, she said, even though the research will be legal in most US states as long as the investigators do not use federal funds.
Shane Smith, the scientific director of the Children’s Neurobiological Solutions Foundation in Santa Barbara, California, which promotes research on genetic and acquired neurological disorders, said that his organisation was reviewing grant proposals from investigators who want to work with Professor Hwang’s group.
"Right now, there are no good human models for the diseases we represent," he explained. "Currently, the Koreans are the only team that has therapeutic cloning up and running in human cells. We are hopeful that we will see stem cell lines made within one to two years that reflect one to three of the diseases we study."
Regarding the ethical concerns, Dr Smith said that the World Stem Cell Foundation will give donors rigorous informed consent forms and will adhere to the guidelines developed by the US National Academy of Sciences for doing stem cell research. "I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to accelerate the science in this field," he said.
Related articles
- Education And Debate Published: 27 October 2005; BMJ 331 doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7523.1013
- Other Published: 11 August 2005; BMJ 331 doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7513.366-a
See more
- US president expands government research into women’s health issuesBMJ March 21, 2024, 384 q713; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q713
- Tameside General Hospital must improve its maternity services, says CQCBMJ March 15, 2024, 384 q669; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q669
- NHS rolls out fast tracked immunotherapy for advanced endometrial cancerBMJ March 05, 2024, 384 q557; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q557
- Women from more deprived backgrounds are less likely to have an epidural, finds studyBMJ February 16, 2024, 384 q411; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q411
- Award people in England harmed by mesh or valproate interim £25 000, says safety commissionerBMJ February 07, 2024, 384 q303; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q303