Stem Cells from Unfertilized Eggs
Yahoo!News article for those who don't read genetics jargon
Original article for those who do read genetics jargon
Soon, women may at least be able to benefit from stem cell research and therapies in spite of religious-based laws banning research in embryonic stem cells. Two collaborative groups of stem cell researchers (one group at the Lifeline Cell Technology in Maryland and a group from Moscow, Russia) reported their success at producing six lines of pluripotent (able to become many types of adult cells) human embryonic stem cells from unfertilized eggs donated by women seeking fertility treatment and donated the extra eggs to stem cell research. Only one of the six lines showed any abnormalities, leaving five normal stem cell lines. These stem cells will be completely compatible with the woman who donated the eggs, but may also be helpful in treating others.
Opponents of stem cell research have already started critizing this report and see no difference in these unfertilized eggs "tricked" into becoming a collection of stem cells and fertilized embryos that may or may not develop into human beings.
Ethical debate aside, there still remains a question of if stem cells produced from eggs alone will produce fully-functional adult cells. Genetic imprinting in mammals causes differences in how materal and paternal genes are expressed, and these stem cells will lack the paternal imprinting pattern. Previous work in studying the results of imprinting observed fetal and placental defeats in mice fetuses produced from either two egg nuclei or two sperm nuclei. A healthy mouse has been produced using two eggs, however, one egg was from a line of mice with more paternal-link female imprinting. In species, such as many reptiles, in which imprinting doesn't occur, embryos commonly produced by only female genetic material and become healthy adults.
Original article for those who do read genetics jargon
Soon, women may at least be able to benefit from stem cell research and therapies in spite of religious-based laws banning research in embryonic stem cells. Two collaborative groups of stem cell researchers (one group at the Lifeline Cell Technology in Maryland and a group from Moscow, Russia) reported their success at producing six lines of pluripotent (able to become many types of adult cells) human embryonic stem cells from unfertilized eggs donated by women seeking fertility treatment and donated the extra eggs to stem cell research. Only one of the six lines showed any abnormalities, leaving five normal stem cell lines. These stem cells will be completely compatible with the woman who donated the eggs, but may also be helpful in treating others.
Opponents of stem cell research have already started critizing this report and see no difference in these unfertilized eggs "tricked" into becoming a collection of stem cells and fertilized embryos that may or may not develop into human beings.
Ethical debate aside, there still remains a question of if stem cells produced from eggs alone will produce fully-functional adult cells. Genetic imprinting in mammals causes differences in how materal and paternal genes are expressed, and these stem cells will lack the paternal imprinting pattern. Previous work in studying the results of imprinting observed fetal and placental defeats in mice fetuses produced from either two egg nuclei or two sperm nuclei. A healthy mouse has been produced using two eggs, however, one egg was from a line of mice with more paternal-link female imprinting. In species, such as many reptiles, in which imprinting doesn't occur, embryos commonly produced by only female genetic material and become healthy adults.