US Firm Applies to Test 'incredible' Stem Cell Technique on Humans

A company based in Massachusetts has applied for permission from US authorities to begin trials on humans of a new stem cell technique that it says holds out the promise of rapid healing of damaged eyes, lungs, hearts and arteries.

In a new step within the ferocious debate about the ethics and application of stem cell research, the company, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), said it had devised a simple method for taking stem cells from human embryos and differentiating them into the precursor cells of blood vessels. Injected into mice and rats, the researchers found that the cells migrated to damaged parts of the body and helped to repair them.

"When injected into the bloodstream, they homed to the other side of the body and repaired damaged vasculature within 24 to 48 hours," said Dr Robert Lanza, who led the ACT team.

Dr Lanza told Associated Press that the technique they had developed had "incredible reparative potential". Other potential benefits could be the treatment for lung damage, the prevention of amputation of limbs blocked by blood clots, help for victims of heart attacks and production of red blood cells for transfusions.

Though its findings have yet to be subjected to peer review, ACT is pressing the US Food and Drug Administration which regulates drug trials for permission to go ahead with human tests by the end of the year.

As a private company, ACT can legally fund stem cell research involving cells obtained from human embryos, although any cloning of human material is banned. However, the claim that it has found a way of using the technology to help repair damaged organs will impact on the on-going debate about the research.

President Bush imposed one of only two vetoes he has wielded during his six years in the White House to prevent the use of public federal funds for research on human embryonic stem cells, except for a limited number of historic supplies of the cells which scientists complain are inadequate in both quantity and quality.

The newly dominant Democratic block in Congress has vowed to push for more resources, but with Mr Bush threatening to veto any further legislation in this area they are likely to be frustrated. In the absence of federal money, several states, led by California and New York, have stepped into the breach and provided their own subsidies.

Private drugs companies are also increasingly interested in stem cell research and have begun to invest heavily in biotechnology firms that are pioneering the most radical work. An article in yesterday’s investor guide Barron’s pointing out the prospect of some stem cell therapies being on sale soon saw shares in several biotech companies jump by up to 5%.

The actor Michael J Fox, who has been using his own Parkinson’s disease as a case for speeding up research in this area, spoke yesterday about the need for more risk-taking. Scientific research needed to be more aggressively converted into treatments, he told a conference of scientists and investors in Boston.

"It’s a little frustrating that the best drug we’ve got [for Parkinson’s] is one that’s been around for 40 years. Forty years!" he said.

"But hey, credit where credit is due - I couldn’t be happier about the recent advances. What comes to mind is antidepressants for dogs, which makes it a little easier for me because my dog is feeling better."