THE LOCKHART REVIEW COMMITTEE

Christians are often accused of having a pie-in-the-sky mentality because they try to do good in the hope of future reward in heaven. Little could be more pie-in-the-sky than the ambitions of human embryo and cloning researchers who intend to do lots of bad, i.e. kill embryos, in the quite uncertain hope that they may achieve some good in a decade or so.

In September last year, the Lockhart Committee held open discussions in Melbourne, as in all the states, with some of those who had made submissions. There were about 40 people at the session I attended, and they comprised three groups: pro-lifers who support research and use of stem cells from ethical sources but oppose embryonic and cloning research because this results in the killing of embryos, scientists who want a free hand to use embryos, clone and kill, and individuals suffering from serious physical disabilities who hope for research that will cure their ailments.

What I found iniquitous was that none of the second group, i.e. the scientists working in stem cell research, had the honesty to tell those with disabilities that there were no cures for them from embryonic stem cells, nor anything in the foreseeable future. It would be heartless to deprive the ill of hope, but these scientists could have told them that all the progress in treating diseases was coming from stem cells derived from ethical sources, i.e. adult stem cells, cord blood, cord linings, placentas etc.

The result of the scientists' silence was that the disability sufferers implicitly accused prolifers of lacking compassion. So for the record, here are some of the research items using stem cells from ethical sources - this is by no means a comprehensive list, just what I found on the internet in the last few weeks and which adds to all the results previously listed.

v Adult stem cells from sources like umbilical cord blood have treated conditions ranging from leukemia to sickle-cell anaemia.
v Pioneering stem-cell surgery has restored a mother's sight.
v Mesenchymal stem cells from amniotic fluid could be used to repair defective windpipes in unborn children, according to research at Children's Hospital Boston.Using lambs, a team headed by Dr Dario Fauza successfully multiplied adult stem cells in a culture, differentiated them into cartilage cells, and repaired birth defects in utero. ~ Children's Hospital Boston press release, Oct 8
v A British veterinary scientist has successfully used bone marrow stem cells to repair tendon damage in more than 160 racehorses. The scientists are considering human trials. ~ Telegraph (UK), Oct 3
v Adult stem cells injected into the brains of animals have helped them to recover from cerebral palsy, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia. "We hope this will eventually be something that can be used in neonatal intensive care units in babies with severe asphyxial brain injuries," says Dr James Carroll. ~ Medical College of Georgia press release, Sept 30
v A woman with chronic heart failure has improved dramatically after stem cells derived from her own blood were injected into her heart by a team based at the University of Pittsburgh. The operation took place in Bangkok. ~VesCell press release, Sept 26
v Adult Stem Cells Help Years After Heart Attacks: Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells taken from bone marrow have proven effective in treating heart damage suffered from heart attacks, and are helpful up to eight years after a heart attack, according to a new study in the Nov. 1, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
v Britain: doctors treating liver patients using adult stem cells from the patients' own bone marrow have scored some stunning successes. Dr. Nagy Habib, a surgeon at London's Imperial College, took adult stem cells from his patients' own blood and reinserted the cells into the patients' livers. Within two months, three of the five patients showed considerable improvement in liver function, while the remaining two suffered no worsening of their conditions. -