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Letter to all District 9460 Rotarians from
PDG John Iriks
Chairman, Rotary Western Australia Centennial Committee
The national and international debate over the ethics of stem cell research is often marked by confusion and misunderstanding.
It is important to differentiate this debate from the centennial gift by Rotary in Western Australia to the people of the State: raising the funds to build and operate (for an initial four years) a Cord Blood Bank that will collect and store cord blood for the benefit of this and future generations.
I asked Gail Lazzaro, the senior scientist in charge of the Cord Blood Program for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, to explain the difference between embryonic stem cells, which are at the centre of the political debate, and cord blood stem cells.
Information from Gail Lazzaro
Senior Scientist
Cord Blood Program for the Australian Red Cross Blood Service
Embryonic Stem Cells
These cells are called 'Totipotential' because as the name describes they can develop into any of the cells of our body, that is, any organ or tissue. Embryonic stem cells have the ability to multiply and self renew and also to be maintained in culture for a long time. These two factors together mean that there is enormous potential and a great hope that these cells will expand our knowledge and unlock the key to many cures and treatments in the future.
The controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells relates to how they are obtained and the question "when does human life begin?"
Embryonic stem cells are produced by taking a fertilised embryo which is at the four cell stage. Fertilised eggs are most commonly sourced from couples who have completed IVF treatments. These cells are cultured artificially to produce a blastocyst. This is a round membrane, literally like a cyst with an inner clump of cells at one end. Cells from this inner cell mass are removed and grown in culture. These cells are the embryonic cell lines that researchers work with which is quite different to the distorted view of dissecting foetuses for research.
Cord Blood Stem Cells
Cord blood stem cells are "Adult Stem Cells" because their future is already defined in the blood and immune system. These cells can multiply and self renew and can be stimulated to mature into any of the cells of our entire blood and immune system.
These cells are called haemopoietic stem cells. They are also present in bone marrow and in very small numbers in the peripheral blood. The beauty of cord blood stem cells is that they are concentrated in the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a baby and normally discarded. They are easy to collect without any risk to the mother or the baby. They behave slightly differently to the bone marrow cells and offer a number of advantages to the patients.
Cord blood stem cells cannot be maintained as long as embryonic stem cells in long term culture which is an obstacle for laboratory research. Adult stem cells from specific organ and tissue systems have been shown under complex laboratory conditions to transform into cells of another organ or tissue system. This is called "plasticity" and is the subject of ongoing research.
Gail Lazzaro
Senior Scientist
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