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Stress a Cell, Get a Stem Cell

Feb 14, 2014

By David Prentice, Ph.D.

It seems every time one turns around there’s a new non-embryonic stem cell discovery, each more amazing than the last. The latest in the journal Nature is no exception.

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Simply stressing normal adult cells can transform them into embryonic-like stem cells, similar to the Nobel prize-winning induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells made by Dr. Yamanaka. But unlike Yamanaka’s technique, these ‘STAP’ cells transform from mature mouse cells into stem cells under the influence of stressors such as acid or stretching, without genetic manipulation and in a much shorter time period.

And don’t be confused by some of the stories, including the Nature news report. These are not adult stem cells as found in body tissues, nor are these new stem cells inherently embryos or able to form embryos, despite the fact that these mouse STAP stem cells can form placental as well as body tissue types.

It takes more than haphazard production of all tissues to form an organism, as has already been seen with human embryonic stem cells. Dr. Maureen Condic has produced an in-depth review of the range of stem cell potency at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/scd.2013.0364.

This new technique shows once again that there are many acceptable, ethical routes to stem cells, and absolutely no necessity for life destroying embryo research. Adult stem cells from tissues, which are the gold standard for patient treatment, as well as iPS cells and STAP cells, emphasize that ethical, life preserving science is also the best science.

Editor’s note. David Prentice is a Senior Fellow for Family Research Council.

This appeared at www.cmda.org/wcm/emailnewsletters/February2014RegularEdition.html#art3

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