Pluripotent adult stem cells
Two research teams – one Japanese, directed by Shinya Yamanaka, from the
University of Kyoto, and the other one, American, directed by James
Thompson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison – announced to
have succeeded in creating human pluripotent stem cells lines from
fibroblasts, cells constituting the epidermis. These works have been
published respectively in the scientific magazines Cell and
Science in November 2007. Human skin cells have been reprogrammed, by
introducing four different genes through a retrovirus, to be transformed
into cells, called iPS, having the same properties as embryonic stem cells;
in other words capable of differentiation into various types of human body
cells. This revolutionary advance is the application to human of the first
discovery made by Yamanaka: in August 2006, by inserting four genes in mouse
skin cells, he obtained cells with the same potential of embryonic stem
cells (v.
Gènéthique n°90). This new technique would also have the advantage to
eliminate any risk of transplantation rejection, as it should allow creating
stem cells with the same patient’s genetic code. Since then, researchers
from Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge
(Massachusetts) declare to have cared, with these cells, drepanocytic mice
and S. Yamanaka succeeded in eliminating the risk of tumour pulling aside
the responsible gene.
Ian Wilmut renounces cloning
“These results lead us in a totally new era of biology of stem cells”,
expressed Professor Ian Wilmut from Roslin Institute of Edinburgh.
The scientific "father" of the cloned sheep Dolly has just announced he will
abandon his researches on cloning, for the benefit of production of stem
cells without embryo. Then he renounces exploiting the licence he obtained,
two years ago, to clone human embryos and wants to join Professor Yamanaka’s
researches which seem to be more promising than those on embryos. “Now we
can envisage the moment when a simple method will be used to generate any
tissue from a very small sample taken from any one of us”.
Reactions of scientists
For Jean-Claude Ameisen, chairman of Inserm ethics committee, “the work
of Yamanaka real scientific revolution, proves that it is possible to
reprogram ordinary adult cells and shows that plasticity of cells is greater
than we thought. With this technique, we cannot say anymore:
there is no other way (than the research
on embryo, editor’s note)”. Jean-Claude Ameisen also says: “10 years have
passed between the first cloned sheep and the first cloned primates, 15
years have been necessary to pass from mouse embryonic stem cells to human
embryonic stem cells and only one year was necessary for S. Yamanaka to pass
from his discovery on animal to its application on human”. Regarding
Axel Kahn, director of Cochin
Institute, he estimates that “in the perspective of the regenerative
medicine, it is the most important advance since the birth of Dolly, ten
years ago”. In the context of the revision of bioethics laws foreseen in
2009, he adds that “it is not urgent to authorise the creation of
embryonic stem cells by nuclear transfer for therapeutic purposes” (in
other words the cloning, editor’s note).
Cord blood stem cells
Within another field which is also promising, during the conference on adult
stem cells and cord blood cells, organized in the Senate on last 22 December,
Dr Nico Forraz (University of Newcastle) announced the future
launching of an international consortium about research on cord blood stem
cells, called Novus Sanguis. Created by Pr Colin McGuckin’s team (University
of Newcastle) and the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, Novus Sanguis will
gather laboratories from various countries.
Embryonic research: impasse
As Pierre-Olivier Arduin, in charge of the commission on Bioethics of the
diocese of Fréjus-Toulon shows it, regarding these advances; it seems that
France “persists in scientific absurdity” supporting embryonic
research. No scientific publication mentions a treatment based on embryonic
stem cells, particularly because they have an important chromosomal
instability and are carcinogenic, whereas big industrial groups like L’Oréal
or LVMH invest in research on adult stem cells. This “enormous
discrepancy … is heavily questioning the authorisation decisions of research
protocols by the Agency of biomedicine. The decriminalisation of research on
embryo is, according to the law, subject to two conditions: one of "being
susceptible to allow major therapeutic advances" and the other one "of not
being followed by an alternative method of comparable efficacy"… When’s a
claim from ill patient associations against the State for non-application of
the law of 4 August 2004?” (1)
1. Décryptage, 22 novembre 2007
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Génétiquement incorrect (Genetically
incorrect) follows the interview granted by Didier Sicard, chairman of
the National Consultative Ethics Committee, on last 5 February, to the
french daily newspaper Le Monde. He denounced the generalisation of
prenatal screening (DPN) and the selection of embryos: “I am deeply
worried about the systematic character of screenings; about a system of
unique thinking… the screening reduces the person to a characteristic. This
is the way some people wants that Marfan’s disease is systematically
screened particularly suffered by President Lincoln and Mendelssohn. Today,
Mozart, because he probably suffered from Gilles de la Tourette disease,
Einstein and his left hypertrophied brain… the central truth is that the
essential of the prenatal screening activity is aiming at deletion and not
at treatment. So, this screening opens up a terrifying prospect: the one of
eradication. And this is maybe more real in France than in other countries”.
Some days after, Nicolas Journet obtained a market place of ideas in the
same daily newspaper, in which he opposed, as the "first concerned",
the development of DPN and its application
to "his" disease. From there his book was born.
Prenatal diagnosis and eugenics
Nicolas Journet suffers from Marfan’s syndrome and this orphan disease has a
permanent threatening of cardiac arrest. From the adolescence, he discovered
the lack of treatment of genetic diseases, and above all the cold and
accusing look from physicians who consider it as a problem to eliminate
and make his parents feel guilty: for medical professionals, he should not
have been born. Nevertheless, genetic disease and happiness are not
incompatible! Through this speech as distressing as beneficial, he really
wants to prove that he has the right to exist, to be happy and even to have
children.
A reform of Telethon
In the name of the right to the difference, N. Journet asks a reform of
Telethon he accuses to” favour the development of a eugenic policy in
France, by granting funds to researches on embryo selection and prenatal
diagnosis”. He asks the allocation of Telethon funds is controlled by
the State, to prevent this serious drift of public health in France. “In
1935, Carel talked about gas chamber! In 2007, to eliminate the defective
ones, we have the prenatal diagnosis, much more urban. And we have something
better, the preimplantation diagnosis”.
"The human and the Animal”
Why to write Human with a capital letter if it will be selected as an animal
after centuries of scientific advances? Nicolas Journet is surprised to see
how animals are sometimes more cherished than we Humans are: “I am in the
same situation as the white Bengal tiger, another natural mutant. It suffers
from a recessive disease, the leucism, which gives its coat this particular
colour. But it is welcome in zoological parks all around the world. The
animals have the right to be different. Their particularity justifies a
personal security… from one hand, the genetic defect of an animal is a vital
element of the biological diversity of our planet. At the same time, any
genetic anomaly in human is to be harshly fought”.
1. Génétiquement incorrect, Nicolas Journet, ed.
Danger Public, nov. 2007. |
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Two recent books deal with the taboo of
interrupted pregnancies and the psychological consequences on woman and her
circle.
How old would he be today? (1)
Doctor Stéphane Clerget, psychiatrist, has just written “Quel
âge aurait-il aujourd’hui? Le tabou des grossesses interrompues” (How
old would he be today? The taboo of interrupted pregnancies) in order to
prevent, accompany and care psychological consequences of spontaneous
abortions, voluntary pregnancy terminations, and medically pregnancy
termination. It is what thought a psychiatrist, a priori not opposed to
abortion, who, through confidences collected during his consultations,
describes the mental marks left by a pregnancy termination in woman, but
also in her family, and particularly in her present and future children.
From traumatism to depression, from hanger to denial or to culpability, he
explains the various reactions, sometimes denied by the circle and proposes
remedies among which the social reconnaissance of perinatal mourning,
expanded to spontaneous abortions. Dr Clerget recommends to legitimate the
moral pain of losing an embryo or foetus, whatever the cause, and to
implement secular or religious mourning rituals. To relief these pains, we
have to recognize them.
Prohibited pains
Since the Veil law of 1975, 4 to 5 million women in France resorted to
abortion. Many of them come and visit a psychiatrist, for a resistant
depression, for fears of death and are surprised to discover that this
started some times after a VTP. But for ideological reasons no one in France
does not dare to talk about psychological and physiological consequences of
abortion.
Accompanying these pains
“Le traumatisme post-avortement” (The post-abortion trauma)
by Dr F. Allard and J.R Fropo (2), through various testimonies
and the analysis of Anglo-Saxon medical literature lifts the curtain on
these pains and urges women to talk about it and accept to be accompanied to
overcome a trial which affects the familial serenity.
1. Quel âge aurait-il aujourd’hui ? Le tabou des
grossesses interrompues – Stéphane Clerget - ed. Fayard - oct. 2007
2. Le traumatisme post-avortement - F. Allard, J.R Fropo, ed.
Salvator - août 2007 |
