Will New Stem-Cell Discovery Sidestep Ethical Debate?

A team of scientists from the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center stem-cell biology program, led by Dr. Mariusz Ratajczak, have isolated some tiny cells in mouse bone marrow that act indistinguishably from embryonic cells. They have successfully cultured marrow cells, once thought to be useful only for renewing blood cells, into the major tissue types, including brain, nerve, heart muscle and pancreatic cells.

The results, published in the scientific journal Leukemia in February, raised hopes that similar results can be done with human cells. Successes with human cells are now being reported.

These cells, called Very Small Embryonic Like cells or VSELs, behave exactly like embryonic cells, but, since they do not require the destruction of an embryo, their use is morally acceptable.