The race is on – despite all the talking

, den 28. Juni 2005

May of this year saw yet another breakthrough in stem cell research: A team headed by the South Korean veterinary researcher, Woo Suk Hwang, published findings of such significance that the ethics of stem cell research were once again top of the agenda – and all over the world too. Hwang had become the first person to succeed in cloning embryos from the genetic matter of the incurably sick and had then used these embryos as a source of stem cell lines. The group produced eleven tailor-made stem cell lines in all, for which it had had to use
185 donated egg cells resulting in 31 cloned embryos – a rate efficient enough for therapeutic cloning to make sense. This research, which the South Korean government has been supporting to the tune of several million US dollars, is outlawed in most other countries owing to their much more restrictive laws and regulations.

As was evident from the reactions of many politicians the world over, stem cell research is as controversial as ever. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, for example, suggested that in view of these latest advances, Germany should perhaps rethink its existing legislation. After all, it would not be able to hold out against the liberalization of stem cell research forever, he said, and could not afford to miss the boat. Just a few weeks ago, a referendum aimed at liberalizing Italy’s laws on stem cell research was torpedoed by the Catholic Church, which called on the faithful to boycott the vote. Even in the USA, supposedly an El Dorado for researchers, the bioethics of stem cell research have become a highly emotive issue. Right-wing Christians equate it with abortion and President George W. Bush has already said that if a bill aimed at facilitating stem cell research is passed by the Senate, he will exercise his right of veto to prevent it becoming law. Supporters of the bill, such as Democrat Senator Tom Harkin, now want to fast-track the bill through Congress on grounds very similar to Schröder’s: “The USA cannot afford to wait any longer before exploiting the full potential of stem cell research,” says Harkin. Unlike in Germany and Italy, however, embryo stem cell research is not actually illegal in the USA. As it is not eligible for state funding, however, three US research institutions have decided to pool what resources there are in a Tri-Institutional Stem Cell Initiative. Armed with 50 million dollars of funding from the private Starr Foundation, this initiative hopes to be able to keep pace with the advances being made in places like South Korea.
Hwang has repeatedly said that his research would have been impossible without the support of the South Korean government. Yet despite his initial successes, he himself estimates that it will take at least ten years before therapeutic cloning can be used on humans. So the race is on – despite all the talking.
-Marc Platthaus-