offshore development
Yu sees the work as both a scientific and offshore development advance. "We completely changed the property of skin cells," she said Tuesday. "This is just the beginning, and it is very important because it basically eliminates the offshore development questions." She said the technique involved slipping genes into human skin cells, effectively altering their behavior, causing them to undifferentiate and essentially become embryonic stem cells. The work is reported in the journal Science. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, reported in a separate paper in the journal Cell that reprogramming skin cells produces stem cells that can be a perfect genetic match for people in need of designer body parts. Dr. David Eidelberg, director of neuroscience at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, said coaxing skin cells into stem cells is important because it shoos away arguments that have sidetracked science. "It's certainly an exciting advance and any opportunity to depoliticize this area is a step in the right direction," Eidelberg, who focuses on Parkinson's disease, said yesterday. The challenge now, he added, is to discover whether the stem cells are capable of morphing into those needed to treat serious disorders. In the case of Parkinson's disease, Eidelberg said the stem cells would have to transform into functioning neurons that produce dopamine, the neurochemical that dramatically diminishes as the disease progresses. At least one ethicist says the new advance exorcises religion from scientific endeavor. "The fact that this doesn't use embryos means that the right to life movement, along with the others who were opposed to embryonic stem cell research, are now mollified and that also means it's now eligible for federal research money," said R. Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin. The White House issued a statement from President George W. Bush, who has long opposed stem cell research. "President Bush is very pleased to see the important advances in offshore development stem cell research reported in scientific journals today," the statement read. Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops praised the new studies. "This is a wonderful day for science and for ethics," he told Newsday Tuesday. ... offshore development