Another Adult Stem Cell Success May Be in the Works

To hear Iowa Senator Harkin (D- IA, I'm ashamed to say) tell it, adult stem cell research has proven useless. In a recent debate in the US Senate he said: "Scientists have known about adult stem cells for 40 years and they still haven't brought about a cure for juvenile diabetes." Either Senator Harkin is ignorant of the history of adult stem cell research, or he is deliberately lying because he knows that if he told the truth then he would have no justification for sponsoring the bill increasing funding for embryonic stem cell research.

In fact, & in a bit of superb irony, even as he was making his claim an article was being published in the 11 April 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that refutes his claim. This news was reported in the 10 April issue of The Washington Post.

The Journal article is a report on the results of trial using adult stem cells. The "stem cell therapy eliminated the need for insulin therapy for varying periods of time". Report co-author Dr. Richard Burt says of the results: "It's the first time in the history of Type 1 diabetes where people have gone with no treatment whatsoever... no medications at all, with normal blood sugars." (Family Reseach Council e-mail)

"The new study, conducted by scientists in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and in Chicago, involved 15 patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. All participants underwent high-dose immunosuppression therapy followed by a procedure called autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHST) to preserve beta-cell function."

"During follow-up that lasted up to 36 months, 93 percent of the patients achieved some length of insulin independence. Fourteen patients became insulin free -- one for 35 months, four for at least 21 months, seven for at least six months. Two more participants who had late responses to the stem cell therapy became insulin free for one and five months, respectively.

One person developed pneumonia, and two others developed problems with their endocrine system, which governs hormones in the body."

"The obvious question is how long does it work and what is the risk of treatment," said Dr. Larry Deeb, president of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association. "But the excitement is where we are in diabetes research and treatment, and the excitement some of these questions generate for people who have diabetes and for the diabetes community and for the profound argument that this is not a time to be proposing less money for research in diabetes."

The questions Dr Deeb asks are valid, in so far as they go. But, sad to say, Dr. Deeb is subtly using this as a justification for more funding for embryonic stem cell research. The ADA & the Juvenille Diabetes Association are big supporters of embryonic stem cell research & in the past have even turned down requests from people doing research using adult stem cells similar to this that has shown promise. They have been forced to acknowledge the successes with adult stem cells because they know that if they didn't it would hurt their fundraising. Yet, as I said, the fail to support this research when presented with the opportunity to do so.

The only explanation I can come up with for why the continued lies in the face of the truth is that the real goal isn't cures but that it provides a cover for perfecting the process of human cloning. That is the only logical explanation. If they were truly looking for cures, they would be calling for more funding for adult & umbilical cord stem cell research instead of making it sound like there hasn't been any successes. They wouldn't try & confuse things by making it sound like those who oppose embryonic stem cell research oppose all stem cell research. They wouldn't deny the fact that somatic cell nuclear transfer is really cloning. & they would quit using people, like me, who suffer from diseases like diabetes as a cover for their unethical research.

1 final thought for Sen. Harkin. What you said about adult stem cell research is actually true about embryonic stem cell research. For once, please tell the truth, foreign as that seems to be to you & so many other Iowa Democrats.

Stem Cell Therapy May Combat Type 1 Diabetes