How important is adult stem-cell technology in your research?
Adult stem cells are really the stem cells we should all be working on.
We have had a long experience of this research. The first transplant using adult stem cells was over 50 years ago, if you count bone-marrow stem cells, which we have to count. And my background also involves IVF. I was on the team working on the first-ever IVF baby, and when we first saw the human embryo down a microscope, we all knew there were stem cells there, but we equally all knew those stem cells wouldn’t be used clinically because of the obvious legal, ethical, moral and religious objections to that.
So, even though I’ve got that background, I’ve moved on, and my priority is now cord-blood stem cells. These are stem cells you can obtain every time a baby is born — they’re very easy to obtain and have massive potential.
These types of cells have been transplanted over 20,000 times now for blood disorders, and they’re also using them for processes of regenerative medicine. These cells can make different tissues in the body, and we’ve heard at the conference amazing things — people making new bladders and new blood cells, and it’s all based on adult stem cells — so this is really the way we should be moving forward.
Would you explain more about cord blood cells — they are from the umbilical cord?
Yes, when a baby is born, we just put a little needle into the cord, and the blood drains out. That blood contains stem cells, the cord itself contains stem cells, and so does the placenta. So, why are we looking at embryonic? There’s just no need.
How do you think the Church can best get this message across?
I think the Church can be very proactive and actively support adult stem-cell research. I think its literature could reflect that more. I think the press associated with the Church should really push the idea of adult stem cells so that we understand them.
From my point of view as a scientist, I want to use them because I know they work and are easy to use. The Church has also got religious and ethical support for this because of the use of human embryos [in the other research, which the Church says is morally wrong], so I think the Church has a major role to play in the future of adult stem-cell technology.
I think this speaks volumes that the church proactively supports adult stem-cell research and I quote, "So, even though I’ve got that background, I’ve moved on, and my priority is now cord-blood stem cells. These are stem cells you can obtain every time a baby is born — they’re very easy to obtain and have massive potential"
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