Last week, long-time friend of AUL, Representative (Dr.) David Weldon went to the House floor and stated with authority, “[T]here is no medical reason to proceed with research into cloning human embryos for their stem cells because that science is obsolete, it is more cumbersome, it is more expensive. We have a better, quicker, easier way to do it.”
Dr. Weldon was referring to recent breakthroughs this summer, which he termed “breath-taking” and thought to be “impossible” just a few short years ago. Specifically, he highlighted two such breakthroughs.
First, Dr. Weldon explained that researchers at Harvard University recently used mice to show that it is possible to directly reprogram adult cells in the pancreas into insulin-producing cells, without removing any cells from the pancreas. In other words, these researchers were able to directly and specifically transform one adult cell type into another adult cell type. AUL reported on this breakthrough here.
Dr. Weldon added that these researchers have “shown that, in principle, it is possible to induce the body to heal itself by reprogramming one cell type into another.” In other words, we don’t need cloning, and we don’t need embryonic stem cell research, in order to reach cures and treatments for the millions of suffering patients in the U.S.
The second breakthrough reported by Dr. Weldon also involved a reprogramming technique. In this breakthrough, researchers from Harvard and Columbia were able to create 21 disease-specific stem cell lines that will enable researchers to study diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Type I diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. And again, through the reprogramming technique, researchers will be able to study these diseases—in the quest for cures and treatments—without the creation, use, or destruction of any human embryos.
Dr. Weldon noted that both of these breakthroughs occurred despite the fact that federal funding was extended only to embryonic stem cell lines that were created prior to August of 2001. This research is moving forward at “breakneck speed,” leaving embryonic stem cell research far behind.
In concluding, Dr. Weldon remarked, “Science is moving beyond the debate. Science is taking us in a direction of ethically responsible research.”
Dr. Weldon’s speech can be viewed here.
