Stem Cel Expansion

U-M launches research consortium to intensify hope for cures.

Ann Arbor

T

he University of Michigan has
formed a consortium to create
new embryonic stem cell lines
that will aid the search for disease treat-
ments and cures.
The A. Alfred Taubman Medical
Research Institute Consortium for Stem
Cell Therapies is the first major embry-
onic stem cell research program launched
in Michigan since the Nov. 4 passage of
a state constitutional amendment allow-
ing scientists to create new stem cell lines
using surplus embryos from fertility clin-
ics.
The founding of this center — com-
bined with the recent state law change
and the executive order President Obama
signed Monday easing restrictions on
federal funding for
embryonic stem cell
research — is expected
to transform embryonic
stem cell research at the
University of Michigan.
"We believe stem cell
research offers one of
our best hopes for find-
Mary Sue
ing
new treatments and
Coleman
cures for a wide variety
of diseases:' said U-M President Mary Sue
Coleman.

At The Core
Embryonic stem cells are the body's mas-
ter cells; they replicate endlessly and form
the more than 200 cell types of the human
body. Scientists hope these remarkably
versatile cells — and the iPS cells that
mimic them — can some day replace
faulty cells or diseased tissues in failing
organs. This fledgling field is known as
regenerative medicine.
The new center will be based at the
U-M Medical School; work is expected to
begin this spring. Funding commitments
of nearly $2 million have been secured to
start the program.
Collaborations are being negotiated
between U-M and its University Research
Corridor partners: Michigan State
University and Wayne State University.
Collaborations also are in the works with
Oakland University, U-M Dearborn and
Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
In addition to deriving new embryonic
stem cell lines, researchers will use recent-
ly developed techniques to convert adult

skin cells into induced pluripotent stem
cells, known as iPS cells. These repro-
grammed cells display the most scientifi-
cally valuable properties of embryonic
stem cells, while enabling researchers to
bypass embryos altogether. A top priority
of the consortium is to derive new lines
of human embryonic stem cells and iPS
cells that carry the genes responsible for
inherited diseases. These cell lines will be
used to probe the causes and progression
of disease, and to test potential therapies.
Likely early disease targets include neu-
rological conditions such as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease),
Huntington's and Alzheimer's as well as
diabetes.

Trailblazing Initiative
The U-M consortium will be among the
first groups in the country to derive new
embryonic stem cell lines that are linked
to a database containing genetic and med-
ical-history information about the embryo
donors and their families.
"In my Program for Neurology for
Research & Discovery, our scientists
study a spectrum of diseases — ALS,
Alzheimer's, diabetic complications, child-
hood muscle diseases, to name a few:'
said Dr. Eva Feldman,
director of the U-M's A.
Alfred Taubman Medical
Research Institute.
"We will now be able
to obtain stem cell lines
to better understand
the cause and develop
new therapies for these
Dr. Eva
diseases:' Feldman said.
Feldman
"Can you imagine what
a powerful tool stem cells will be?"
The new consortium will supersede the
Michigan Center for Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Research, which stores and
studies cell lines approved by the Bush
administration, and trains researchers
to use them. That center began in 2002.
While taking on the tasks of deriving
embryonic and iPS stem cell lines, the new
consortium will continue to provide many
of the core services provided by its prede-
cessor. The consortium will be a cell-line
repository; staff members will train other
scientists to work with the lines.
At U-M, human embryonic stem cell
work is also under way at the Center for
Stem Cell Biology, launched in 2005 and
located at the Life Sciences Institute.

half century ago:' said Bloomfield
Hills philanthropist, retail titan
and U-M alumnus A. Alfred
Taubman. "The creation of this
consortium positions the state of
Taubman Influence
Michigan at the forefront of this
To create new embryonic stem
promising scientific and medi-
cell lines, the A. Alfred Taubman
cal frontier. In doing so, we will
Consortium for Embryonic Stem
A. Alfr ed
make this a healthier world for
Cell Therapies will use surplus
Taubm an
generations to come."
embryos remaining following
The consortium will conform
infertility treatment. Several hun-
to the provisions of the state constitutional
dred early-stage embryos — which would
amendment approved by Michigan voters
otherwise have been discarded — have
in November. U-M will strictly adhere to
been donated and consented for use in
the guidelines for the conduct of human
research.
embryonic stem cell research issued by
"Embryonic stem cell research is the
the International Society for Stem Cell
most important advancement in medical
Research. ❑
science since the advent of antibiotics a

Researchers at the LSI-based
center work with both adult and
embryonic stem cells.

Jewish Groups Laud Obama Order

Washington/JTA

Jewish groups lauded President
Obama's decision Monday to lift
the executive order restricting fed-
eral funding for embryonic stem cell
research.
"Those suffering from debilitating
diseases and disorders for which stem
cell research holds great promise now
have a renewed sense of hope, and we
are optimistic for the future of emby-
ronic stem cell research," Hadassah
national president Nancy Falchuk said.
In remarks at the White House sign-
ing of the Stem Cell Executive Order
and Scientific Integrity Presidential
Memorandum, Obama said: "At this
moment, the full promise of stem
cell research remains unknown and
it should not be overstated. But sci-
entists believe these tiny cells may
have the potential to help us under-
stand, and possibly cure, some of
our most devastating diseases and
conditions: to regenerate a severed
spinal cord and lift someone from a
wheelchair; to spur insulin production
and spare a child from a lifetime of
needles; to treat Parkinson's, cancer,
heart disease and others that affect
millions of Americans and the people
who love them."
Nathan Diament, the Orthodox
Union's public policy director, said the
traditional Jewish perspective empha-
sizes that "the potential to save and

heal human lives is an integral part of
valuing human life. Stem cell research
is consistent with and serves these
moral and noble goals.
"We urge the president and the
leadership of the National Institutes
of Health to ensure that robust ethical
guidelines and oversight bodies are
put in place to ensure this important
research is conducted in the most
appropriate fashion, balancing science
with ethics," he said.
"Scientists have had to devote
much of their time to figuring out how
to do their research while complying
with the restrictions," said Rachel
Goldberg, B'nai B`rith International's
director of aging policy. "Unlocking
federal dollars for research will
knock down critical barriers our top
researchers have faced and allow
them to go back to what they do best
– making discoveries."
In 2001, President Bush said fed-
eral funding for embryonic stem
cell research could be used only on
a small number of stem cell lines
in existence. In 2007, he vetoed a
bill that would have allowed frozen
embryos to be used for research.
Proponents of embryonic stem cell
research believe it can be used to find
cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's
diseases, among other illnesses.
Critics believe destroying embryos
while performing such research is
equivalent to destroying human life.

March 12 • 2009

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