Once again, researchers have found wonderful medical promise in the ethical use of certain types of cells taken from adults.
Scientists in Boston recently improved the safety and efficiency of turning particular types of adult cells into different kinds of cells – which can then be used in medical therapies. The scientists were building on earlier discoveries about the usefulness of adult cells in treating various diseases.
The cells in the latest experiments are “reprogrammed” in such a way that they will not be attacked by existing cells when they are inserted into them.
The technology “could provide an alternative to embryonic stem cells,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
That is important, because removing adult cells for use in medical research does not harm the adult donor. By contrast, using the cells of tiny unborn babies – so-called “embryonic stem cells” – destroys those innocent human lives.
We all hope for cures for debilitating diseases, and it is exciting to learn how scientists are moving toward those cures through innovative research. But that research should be conducted ethically, without harming human life.