http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/25/ED4J15FVIA.DTLSteady on stem cells
Monday, January 26, 2009
It's a cautious but unmistakable advance in stem cell research. Less than a dozen newly injured paraplegics will be injected with the building-block cells that could repair and regenerate damaged tissue.
The same week that stem cell critic George W. Bush left office, the Geron Corp. of Menlo Park won federal approval to treat human patients for the first time. The firm is toning down the dramatics by claiming the trial is more about patient safety than breakthrough treatment, but the barrier from lab testing to human trials has come down.
This broader use - and the potential it holds for medicine - should only grow if President Obama follows through on pledges for expanded stem cell work. The timing of the Geron approval underlines the changed atmosphere at an emotional intersection of science and politics.
This change has special meaning for California, where a $3 billion program to sponsor stem cell work was approved by voters in 2004 and is getting under way now. This state has shown a willingness to push ahead while Washington's imposed limits have cast a chill on national research.
The Geron experiment is a case in point. The firm derives its embryonic stem cells from a federally approved batch, not a much wider pool that scientists recommend, and uses no Washington money. The company is doing all the heavy lifting in a decidedly unfriendly atmosphere.
The move into actual human trials is major. Researchers are playing down hopes for miracle cures as new stem cells are injected to grow into new, differentiated cells that can replace damaged muscles and nerves.
At this early point, it's mainly about testing the safety of the treatment. That's a key issue because a harmful result or botched trial could set back the stem cell cause immeasurably, a risk that researchers acknowledge.
But as stem cell work edges into human trials, the trend should widen. Other diseases, injuries and conditions await. A new leader in the White House should step in to push the process along after a too-long wait.
