PRESS RELEASE

Release Date: January 23, 2002

Ultimate Stem Cell Discovery Gives Extraordinary Promise to Researchers, Patients; Makes Cloning and Destructive Embryo Research Unnecessary

Chicago, Illinois - January 23, 2002 - A researcher at the University of Minnesota has discovered what is being called the "ultimate stem cell."

According to the January 23rd breaking story on the NewScientist.com web site, the stem cells found in adult bone marrow has passed every test proving that it:

• can form every single tissue in the body

• can be grown in culture indefinitely, with no signs of aging
  can be isolated from humans

• do not form cancerous masses when injected into adults

If this research is confirmed, it offers extraordinary promise both to researchers pursuing cures and to patients in need of medical treatments. It offers a way to pursue needed research while eliminating any justification for ethically unjustifiable destructive human embryo research by making embryonic stem cell research and "therapeutic" cloning obsolete.

Upon hearing the news, Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity President John Kilner said, "This comes as great news during this sanctity of life week--both for those who mourn the huge loss of unborn human life in recent decades as well as those who have challenging medical conditions. If confirmed, we no longer need to wait until human cloning becomes reliable--something that may never happen--to pursue therapies and treatments. The genetically appropriate, flexible stem cells patients need are right there in their own bodies."

Center Senior Fellow C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D. agreed saying, "This announcement is a palpable reminder that stem cell research is still in its infancy. We should only pursue research that is scrupulously ethical. This discovery will allay everyone's concerns about embryo-destructive research. There will be no possible justification for destroying human embryos for their cells."

For interviews with Center personnel, contact Daniel McConchie at 847-317-8180 or by email at dmcconchie@cbhd.org.

About The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity is a 501(c) 3 non-profit think tank located in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to develop reasoned perspectives on all of today's bioethical issues and to disseminate them to health care professionals, academia, cultural and church leaders, public policy makers, and the media in order to protect human dignity. CBHD

Copyright 2002 by The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CBHD, its staff, board or supporters. Permission to reprint granted as long as The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and the web address for this article is referenced.