here we go again

By now, you may have heard of the two labs that have successfully used human cells to create "stem-cell-like" results. The Wisconsin group used foreskin cells (which is fairly common: a lot of skin-healing products are made of neonatal foreskin cells) while the Kyoto group used skin cells. By mixing the cells with 4 - 6 genes, the cells could then be transformed into heart or brain cells. (Read more about it here and here.)

Although the success is well-worth congratulating, there is the looming question of the politics of science. Will people twist this result into an excuse for stopping embryonic stem cell work for good? The problem is that any scientific technique, especially one that requires genetics and viral components, needs to be studied and tested many, many times over before it can be used. In addition, the limitations haven't been discussed yet and with no animal studies or long-term studies done, stopping all other stem research would be imprudent. (Similarly, after the discovery of embryonic stem cells, work with adult stem cells didn't end. And for good reason - science requires people looking at every possible pathway, because so few end up being usable in the end.)

Until more groups replicate these results and put them through more stringent testing, the best I can hope is that this news encourages more people to learn about stem cells so they can have informed opinions.