Harvard researchers start human stem cell project

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON (Reuters) – Researchers at Harvard University said
on Tuesday they have started efforts to clone human embryos as
a source of valued stem cells, using only private money to
bypass federal restrictions on such work.

The scientists are studying how embryonic stem cells are
programmed, will try to correct defects and then try to return
the repaired cells to the body to battle diseases like blood
disorders, ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and diabetes.

“Our long-term goal is to create embryonic stem cells from
a patient’s tissues, correct the genetic defects, and get the
repaired cells back into the patients,” researcher Dr. George
Daley of Children’s Hospital in Boston said.

The research is controversial because scientists use human
embryos which some people say amounts to taking a human life.

The issue has divided Congress, with some lawmakers wanting
to give it more funding and others wanting to ban it
altogether. President George W. Bush in 2001 restricted the use
of federal money for human embryonic stem cell work to a few
existing batches of cells.

But Harvard Provost Stephen Hyman told reporters that the
project, which he said is critically important to trying to
fight often deadly diseases, has been carefully reviewed and
that the team of scientists will follow strict guidelines.

Stem cells are the body’s master cells and embryonic stem
cells are especially powerful because they can produce any kind
of tissue in the body and can be grown, virtually immortal, in
laboratory dishes.

The Harvard project, which Daley said will cost millions of
dollars, will be financed exclusively by private donors with
not one penny of public money.

While Harvard is not alone in trying to clone human stem
cells, its effort become America’s hub for life sciences is
well known. Next year it will break ground on
500,000-square-foot (46,500-square-meter) science complex that
will house the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

SOUTH KOREAN SCANDAL

The field has been marred by scandals.

Several months ago a South Korean researcher who claimed to
have cloned human embryos and obtained stem cells from them was
found to have falsified his reports. Other groups claimed to
have cloned actual human babies but have never produced
evidence to support their claims.

Acknowledging that “we will be held to exceedingly high
standards to get our work published,” Daley said independent
auditors will ultimately be able to verify the Harvard work.

The Harvard scientists made an exception in talking about
their work before it is published because of keen public
interest but said they will not discuss more details until they
are ready to submit the work for publication.

The Boston researchers eventually want to use cloning
technology to make days-old embryos that could then be used as
a source of stem cells.

This process is called nuclear transfer and involves taking
the nucleus from a cell, such as a skin cell, inserting it into
a human egg cell and reprogramming the egg cell so it starts
growing as a human embryo.

Another way to clone embryos is to use the nucleus from a
cell taken from a week-old embryo and Daley said they will
start here, using leftover embryos from a Harvard fertility
clinic and from women who want to donate eggs.