CATHOLIC ETHICS INSTITUTE HAILS MORALLY UNCOMPROMISED STEM CELL BREAKTHROUGH

Scientist Senior Fellows Call Reprogrammed Cells Superior to Embryonic Cells and Cloning

Puts Respect for Embryonic Human Life and Biomedical Research on the Same Plane, Creating a "Cinderella Moment," says Fr. Thomas Berg

THORNWOOD , NY -- The recently announced breakthrough in cell reprogramming was hailed as a "win-win" advance by the head of the Westchester Institute, a Catholic ethics think-tank that that has been deeply engaged on the stem cell issue for several years.

"This tremendous advance puts respect for embryonic human life and potentially life-saving biomedical research on the same plane," said Fr. Thomas Berg, Executive Director of the Westchester Institute and member of the ethics committee of New York 's Empire State Stem Cell Board. "Ever since the debate of embryo-destructive stem cell research began in earnest, we've known that the best answer to the ethical impasse would be one that allows the search for stem-cell related cures to go foreword without harming or destroying embryonic human life in the process. We now have that solution."

On Tuesday, two major scientific papers were published showing that scientists could generate patient-matched pluripotent stem cells without using human embryos. Both studies used direct reprogramming of adult human cells to generate stem cells known as "induced pluripotent state cells" (iPSCs) that have all the properties of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Links to the scientific papers and additional background information on reprogramming are available at www.westchesterinstitute.net.

"Not only are IPSCs as good as embryonic stem cells, they are actually superior in one critical aspect: they are patient specific and hence will not be rejected by the immune system of the person from which they derived," said Markus Grompe, Professor of Molecular and Medical Genetics at Oregon Health and Science University, and Westchester Institute Senior Fellow. " The ability to generate ESCs matched to a particular person was the main reason for efforts to clone human embryos (therapeutic cloning)."

Maureen Condic, Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Utah, and Westchester Institute Senior Fellow added the following: "Unlike human cloning, which has thus far not been accomplished and remains only a theoretical possibility, iPSCs have been generated by two independent laboratories, making patient-specific pluripotent stem cells a reality today. Morover, unlike cloning, no eggs are needed for the iPS procedure and no human embryos are produced or destroyed, thus resolving major ethical and practical difficulties associated with the cloning procedure. Thus, on both ethical and practical grounds, direct programming is superior to cloning as a means of obtaining patient-specific pluripotent stem cells."

Father Thomas Berg added, "From both a moral and scientific standpoint, one cannot exaggerate the importance of this development. This reprogramming advance changes the entire landscape of stem cell research from one of controversy and unfulfilled promises for treatment, to a morally uncompromised field that may very well accelerate the development of patient-matched therapies.

"It's really kind of a Cinderella moment in science and ethics--the kind of thing that frankly doesn't happen real often!" said Fr. Berg.

"We should all be deeply grateful to these scientists who-whether they happened to agree or not-nonetheless took seriously the ethical objections many people have to embryo-destructive research. They have now shown us a way forward that we can all live with. That's a huge win-win, especially for those who can now hopefully benefit from therapies garnered through a technology which is exceedingly more efficient than cloning," concluded Fr. Berg.

The Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human person was founded in 1998 to renew, deepen, and promote the Western tradition of moral reflection. The institute pursues its objectives in cultural, political, and academic settings. Through seminars, lecture series, and research fellowships, the Westchester Institute seeks to reinvigorate contemporary moral discourse at all levels.

More information : Links to the scientific papers and additional background information is available at www.westchesterinstitute.net. To speak with a representative from Westchester Institute contact Michelle Gress at mgress@westchesterinstitute.net .