Testimony

Stem Cell Research

May 1, 2003

Our testimony before the State Senate in Support of Senate 515, Stem Cell Research.
Cindy-Jo Gross is a member of JALSA's Young Social Activists
Andrea Zirman, member of JALSA's Young Social Activists

My name is Cindy-Jo Gross and I come to the committee on behalf of JALSA, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and as a citizen of the Commonwealth. I am a health care professional with a background in genetics and development and a life-long interest in science and technology. I urge the committee to support Senate 515, encouraging stem cell research in Massachusetts. I originally came to Massachusetts to study public health and have remained here to work in the outstanding hospitals and the biopharmaceutical field. At the present time, I am an independent healthcare consultant with no potential personal gain from supporting this bill. However, I feel strongly that there are opportunities for tremendous advancements from the results of stem cell research – especially embryonic stem cell research.

As the committee has heard today, embryonic stem cells are unspecialized cells that can be treated in the laboratory to continually make copies of themselves. Many human diseases are caused by defects in certain specialized cells. For instance, diabetes can be caused by a lack of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Through embryonic stem cell research, scientists hope to learn how to create mature cell types that could replace the dysfunctional cells that cause such diseases as, diabetes, Parkinson’s and heart disease.

As indicated by their name, embryonic stem cells are found in embryos, which is defined as the developing human from the time fertilization until the end of the eighth week of gestation.

During the maturation of the fetus, the embryonic stem cells give rise to all of the hundreds of specialized cells that are found in our bodies. Therapeutic stem cell research focuses on culturing the embryonic stem cells in dishes, outside of the human body, to identify the signals that cause embryonic stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells. It is necessary for research in this area to continue, as these mechanisms are still poorly understood.

The cells used to create embryonic cell lines for research are almost exclusively derived from unused fertilized eggs created during infertility treatment. These embryos would otherwise be discarded.

Stem cell research is not cloning. Stem cells are not and cannot be used to clone human beings. When managed appropriately, they may be able to develop into specialized cells that can replace one missing ingredient or dysfunctional cell; they cannot be used to create an entire human being.

Embryonic stem cells are totipotent – this means that they have the potential to give rise to any type of cell in the human body. Adult stem cells (also known as somatic stem cells) are limited. They can only give rise to cell types found in the organ from which they were derived. Furthermore it is not clear that all adult organs contain stem cells. Thus scientists cannot explore all possible treatments and cures for the range of diseases from which people suffer. Research on adult stem cells is not an adequate substitute for embryonic stem cell research.

Due to the diversity of the population, it is important that researchers have access to a range of embryonic cell lines, and thus, more cell-line sources. Each cell line is subtly different, and researchers have yet to determine which ones will be best. The most robust cell lines may not yet exist. Only when there are a few hundred cell lines, say scientists, will we truly know what embryonic stem cells are capable of doing.

I urge this Committee to pass this bill and encourage stem cell research in Massachusetts. Facilitating the advancement of science and medical technologies will benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth economically, intellectually and personally. There are many residents who suffer from the myriad condition that may be helped from the results of stem cell research that can be conducted by the world renowned research scientists and physicians affiliated with Massachusetts’ educational institutions, hospitals, non-profit research foundations and biotechnology companies.