By jeni gort

Staff Writer

While most of the thoughts on campus were focused on Homecoming, Airband and Alumni gatherings, embryonic stem cell research was the hot topic last Friday afternoon. Biology Professor Hessel Bouma led a lecture and discussion on the ``Promises and Perils'' that face this neoteric field of study.

In 1998, Dr. John Gearhart and Dr. James Thompson opened up the door to a field which has subsequently proceeded to promise cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, paralysis, Parkinson's, and even the more agricultural aspect of organ donation.

Embryonic stem cell research is only a few years old, however, and still generates more questions and possibilities than answers.

In order to understand the implications of this field, one must first be familiar with what a stem cell actually is. A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell that has the potential to differentiate into any type of tissue present in the body. At the moment of conception, the genes contributed by a mother and father are contained within one of these stem cells. Within the next four days, this cell will divide, grow and divide again to produce the ``blastula'' stage or ``128-cell'' stage. From then on in development, these stem cells will begin to differentiate into all sorts of organs and tissues, based on the environmental cues around them.

Bouma's lecture covered the development of stem cells and the research enabled by from the maturing fetus. Stem cells possess the entirety of the body's genetic information, and therefore have the potential to become any type of tissue in the body.

But the future remains uncertain...Someday or next week, any old cell might be able to produce a stem cell line.

In fact, since environmental factors dictate the cell differentiation, a bit of scientific manipulation can cause a developing skin cell to become a neural cell. This may not seem like much, but it means that neural cells that have been cultured up can grow, divide and possibly repair a damaged section of a patient's brain.

Similarly, when cardiac cells were grown in a culture dish, they pulsed with their own rhythm, and when placed with another sample of cardiac cells, the beats became synchronized and they worked together. This provides potential hope to heart attack victims, who are limited to light activity due to the damaged area of their heart, because they now have a chance to repair that damage.

These cells cultured from stem cells have the potential to fight back against the spinal injuries, organ failure or degenerative brain and spine diseases that plague millions of people. There is even a preventative measure to retain bone marrow health during radiation treatment involving the reintroduction of stem cells to damaged bone marrow.

Even so, as Bouma noted, the cure always comes with a cost. That cost is relative to the source of the stem cells.

Stem cells are most abundant and most flexible in an embryo or fetus, which makes fetuses or embryos tempting sources for stem cells.  However, in order to do any research or produce stem cell cultures, the embryo/fetus cannot survive.  This, just like abortion, raises the ethical questions of ``When does life begin?'' and ``Is this murder?''

Bouma addressed this concern by examining different sources from which the scientific community acquires stem cells.

One source of stem cells is aborted fetuses.  However, since sperm and eggs are already being sold on the black market, Bouma wondered how many people will base their decisions to either have an abortion or carry the baby to term, on money?

Another source of embryos is surplus frozen blastulas from fertility clinics. Couples might have a number of eggs fertilized by in vitro techniques, and then implanted three or four at a time per cycle. However, it may only take a few implantation cycles before conception is achieved. Therefore, some couples are left with excess embryos in stasis, frozen in a laboratory refrigerator.

Miscarriages are another source for fetuses and embryos. Miscarriages, however, have a high rate of genetic or birth defects, along with various stages of cell decomposition before the stem cell can be harvested.

Stem cells are also present and could be harvested from the adult body. Stem cells are present in the bone marrow, fat, skin, and small intestine - any place where massive cell replacement is needed. However, these stem cells are less flexible in their development and are less suitable for stem cell research and medical use.

The current industry of stem cell research is and has been funded privately since the 1970's, when federal funding of the research was revoked. However, Bouma contended that currently, private companies are racing for ``money patents,'' jumping over any ethical hurdle to achieve their ends and failing to inform the public about their work and any potential ethical barriers that may have been crossed.

``I have never been so absolutely dependant on the popular media or upon C-Span,'' admits Bouma.

In one case mentioned at the seminar, a laboratory assistant was placing cow nuclei from one cell into the stem cell of another cow, in a process similar to cloning, when the assistant got the idea to place one of his own cells into the stem cell. To his surprise, it started to divide and develop.

Suddenly thinking of the consequences of a human-cow crossbreed, he informed his supervisor of his actions and terminated his experiment. However, his supervisor then started his own human-cow crossbreed and published it in ``The Nature of Biotechnology'' magazine.

Bouma's suggestion for keeping scientists accountable for their actions is to reinstate government funding. Papers and practices would then be subject to the review of the scientific community and people would be forced to look at the ethical issues, rather than just the goal of their experimentation.

But the future remains unknown. Someday [or] next week, any old cell might be able to produce a stem cell line. Maybe then people would begin to value their body fat.