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Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC)
These amazing cells may heal an injured or ill person from within their own bodies. They can be made from a skin cell of the person who wants to get better, like my son, Roman Reed, who was injured 8 years ago while playing college football. Add the information from that cell to one hollowed-out egg, like those a woman loses every month-and in 5-7 days, you have embryonic stem cells. Put those stem cells into my son, and his spine might re-connect.
Now please note: nowhere in that entire process is there a baby. None.
There is no sperm, no fertilization, no womb, no implantation-and no child. This
is why pro-life champions like Senators Strom Thurmond and Orrin Hatch strongly support this research.
Now some folks say, we don't need embryonic stem cells, because we can use adult stem cells. Personally, I don't care if it's old cells or new cells which
cure my son. But let's take a look at the very latest research, just published in the most recent issue of the scientific journal, NATURE. Two studies: one, by Dr. Catherine Verfaillie, with adult stem cells, the other, by Dr. Ron McKay with embryonic stem cells. The adult stem cells showed great promise, apparently
changing to cells which seemed like they might be copies of other cells. Apparently. seemed like. might be. The other study was of embryonic stem cells, which produced new cells which did in fact-- function. They did not just look like other cells; they worked. This particular experiment was on rats with a Parkinson's like disease, which caused them to walk in a circular motion, round and round; after the embryonic stem cells, some were able to walk in a straight line. Some in fact got too much, and they began walking in the other
direction. Clearly, fine-tuning is needed; but the point is clear. The embryonic cells achieved function; they worked.
So what should we do? "Both adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells (should) be studied in tandem, to find out which works best for each condition"-who said this? Dr. Catherine Verfaillie, the author of the adult stem cell experiment.
We have proof that embryonic stem cells work. I have seen one example. Two years ago, I stood in the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Laboratory, at the University of California, Irvine. I held in my hands a white laboratory rat, which had been paralyzed-- but which now walked again. I felt its little legs moving, muscles which had been limp and useless. And as I held that tiny miracle in my hands, right beside me, in his wheelchair, sat my son. I want that research to go forward, for him, and for every sufferer of disability. We don't want just the rats to get better. We want to let science do it's best work -- relieve suffering, end early death and cure terrible diseases and medical conditions.
Don Reed, Chairperson, Californians for Cure
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