Scientists Isolate New Stem Cell Lines

Wed Jun 9, 7:56 PM ET 

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO - Scientists at a private Chicago fertility clinic say they have isolated 12 new stem cell lines from genetically flawed human embryos — an advance that could help research into cures for devastating inherited diseases. 
 
The cell colonies came from unused embryos donated by couples who underwent prenatal genetic screening at Reproductive Genetics Institute, clinic president Yury Verlinsky said Wednesday.

The embryos had gene mutations for two forms of muscular dystrophy, certain blood diseases and a cause of mental retardation — seven diseases in all.

Because of stem cells' unique properties, isolating and studying the cells from those embryos could help researchers better understand genetic diseases and develop new treatments or cures, experts said.

While dozens of other stem cell lines have been developed from human embryos, these are the first to be created from embryos with specific diseases, said Dr. Leonard Zon, president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

"This is a significant advance for the field," said Zon, a stem cell researcher at Boston's Children's Hospital. "We may learn a lot about the biology of basic diseases by having those lines available."

The colonies are among 50 new stem cell lines isolated by clinic researchers, said Verlinsky, who will present details at the society's annual meeting in Boston this week. At least two other groups also plan to report that they have created new stem cell lines from disease-afflicted human embryos, Zon said.

Verlinsky said he will make the colonies his lab created available to other scientists doing privately funded research.

Stem cells have the capacity to produce cells for virtually all body tissues and organs, and they can make copies of themselves indefinitely. Scientists believe they could someday be used to treat or cure diseases and repair the body.

They can be extracted from very early human embryos, but their use in research is controversial because the extraction procedure kills the embryo.

Because of that, President Bush (news - web sites) in 2001 restricted federal research funding to experiments involving only the 78 cell lines already in existence at the time.

Northwestern University ethicist Laurie Zoloth said using genetically defective embryos does not erase the moral objections some groups have raised about embryonic stem cell research.

Verlinsky said his research makes good use of embryos that would otherwise be discarded. "We feel that to throw away the embryo that can give us a lot of good information is not a good idea," he said.

He said the new stem cell lines have mutations for two forms of muscular dystrophy that affect children and adults, thalassemia, Fanconi anemia, Fragile X syndrome, Marfan syndrome, and a type of neurofibromatosis.

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Reproductive Genetics Institute: http://www.reproductivegenetics.com

International Society for Stem Cell Research: http://www.isscr.org

Original article can be found here