The breakthrough in stem cell studies
The June 19 headline reads "US doctors kill skin cancer with cloned T-cells."
Does this suggest that human cloning of embryonic stem cells has been successful in treating skin cancer? Absolutely not!
The details of the New England Journal of Medicine report that generated this news coverage reveal that adult stem cells obtained from the patient were used.
The exciting result was an apparent cure of melanoma for this patient.
Can other melanoma patients expect to receive this treatment soon?
The reality check came from researcher Cassian Yee, M.D.
"Yee cautioned that these results represent only one patient with a specific type of immune system whose tumor cells expressed a specific antigen. More studies are needed."
The widely reported introduction for this news story was: "U.S. doctors have for the first time successfully treated a skin cancer patient with cells cloned from his own immune system."
The story included a later reference stating that the treatment "used his own cloned infection-fighting T-cells."
How many people will immediately think of cloned human beings?
That has become a common reference point in the debate over stem cell research since cloning of embryos to obtain stem cells is considered a necessary step by advocates of embryonic stem cell research.
Technically, use of "cloned" in the news report about treating melanoma is accurate.
A definition of cloning states, "Cloning is the process of making an identical copy of something. In biology, it collectively refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments."
However, since reporting of this stem cell research success never used the phrase "adult stem cells," confusion is very likely to occur for many readers, whether that confusion was intended or not.
This news represents an exciting medical breakthrough that will become even more exciting if it can be duplicated by additional studies.
This breakthrough was achieved using adult stem cells that were isolated based on specific characteristics and encouraged to duplicate themselves so large numbers of these stem cells could be infused into the patient.
This result again demonstrates that killing embryos (cloned or otherwise) for stem cells is not required to achieve medical breakthroughs.
William Beckman
Executive Director
Illinois Right to Life Committee
Chicago