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EDITORIAL |
Jerome H. Holland Laboratory for the Biomedical Sciences, American Red Cross
I write this in the environs of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area as the nation formally ended 12 days of mourning in the wake of the largest terrorist attacks in its history. Nearly 6,000 human beings are missing and presumed dead. There is a surreal incongruity between the hard reality of the present and the period leading up to September 11, where much public attention was focused on the ethics of conducting research involving human embryonic stem (ES) cells. All of us will be forever changed by the horrendous events of September 11, but I look forward to the day when once again it is headlines in the nation's newspapers like "Stem Cells May Repair Heart Attack Damage" and "Stem Cells Could Treat Brain Diseases" that capture the public's notice and imagination.
This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times to be working in the field of stem cell research. Granted, not all claims of the remarkable spectrum of developmental plasticity attributed to tissue-specific stem cells may survive the test of scientific rigor [1]. Indeed, some of us remember earlier contentions of single bone marrow cells giving rise to both hematopoietic stem cells and the hematopoietic microenvironment that were subsequently invalidated by more critical evaluation of the data [2,3]. I should say that I am an advocate of Karl Popper's method of scientific investigation, where falsifiability of hypotheses is an integral part of the scientific process. In this context it is not the current stem cell plasticity results per se that are important (although they might very well turn out to be if they lead to new paradigms and therapies), but how close they resemble the truth. Unfortunately, it is not always straightforward to discern this in practice. On that cautionary note, recent reports would appear to demonstrate that hematopoietic stem cells have the potential to differentiate into functional hepatocytes and to repair infarcted myocardium in vivo [4,5]. Therefore, until all of the evidence is in on stem cell plasticity, I am going to keep an open mind. If oligodendrocyte precursors can be reprogrammed to become central nervous system stem cells [6], maybe it will be proved that CFU-S (hematopoietic precursors capable of forming spleen colonies) [7] really are long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells.
To facilitate research involving stem cells, the National Stem Cell Resource (NSCR) is being established at the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) in Manassas, VA. The NSCR is a non-profit repository involving ATCC, The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME, and The Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is supported by ATCC and an infrastructure grant from the National Center for Research Resources of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Overseen by David Barnes, an ATCC scientist, the NSCR seeks to acquire ES cell lines spanning a gamut of species, including mouse, non-human primates, zebrafish, and chicken, as well as those derived in other non-human species as they become available. Through a consortium arrangement with The Jackson Laboratory, germline competency of mouse ES cells will be confirmed by Barbara Knowles' group prior to distribution. Extensive characterization of non-human primate ES cells will be carried out by the University of Wisconsin's James Thomson under a similar arrangement. It is also the intention of the NSCR to access tissue-specific stem cell and precursor lines—such as those representative of hematopoietic, muscle, and neural tissues—from a variety of species. In addition, the mandate of the NSCR is to standardize and optimize methodology, and to develop and distribute selected reagents related to stem cell characterization and utilization.
For the NSCR to accomplish these goals, it is imperative that laboratories currently engaged in stem cell research contribute their key cell lines and ancillary reagents to the repository. As a member of the NSCR Advisory Committee, I strongly urge all investigators in the stem cell community to consider doing so. Obviously, intellectual property and patent issues will need to be addressed, and I appreciate that some materials for which the distribution rights are already exclusively licensed to commercial entities (e.g., in my case, certain retroviral vectors) may not be immediately available for deposit. The above issues notwithstanding, it is noteworthy that the most highly publicized stem cells, human ES cells, are conspicuously absent from the NSCR accession list. My purpose in mentioning this fact is not to incite another debate on this topic. (For those readers so inclined, I draw your attention to an eloquent discourse by Curt Civin in the previous issue of STEM CELLS that was intended to stimulate further discussion of this subject [8]). My reason is more pragmatic. I read where the NIH is contemplating plans for a repository to accommodate the 64 (24?) human ES cell lines that are eligible for U.S. federal funding according to criteria outlined by President Bush in his August 9 address [9]. The question I pose is: Why not extend the mandate of the NSCR to include these particular human ES cell lines? The infrastructure is already in place or it soon will be, and it would simplify matters tremendously for researchers who wish to obtain the cells. On September 5, the NIH and the WiCell Research Institute, a non-profit laboratory established by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for research use of five human ES cell lines derived by James Thomson that apparently meet the President's criteria. It seems to me that accessioning of these five human ES cell lines by the NSCR would be a good place to start. A potential bonus to researchers, should this proposal be adopted, is that the cost recovery of distributing these cells through the NSCR must surely be less than the $5,000 a pop (see http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index20010827.htm) presently being charged.
For further information about the NSCR or to provide your input as to which cell lines and reagents should be accessioned, go to the NSCR website at http://pasteur.atcc.org/StemCell/index.html or send an e-mail to stemcells{at}atcc.org.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the policies or position of the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross adheres to seven fundamental principles—Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity, and Universality—rooted in the Geneva Conventions. Its purpose is to protect life and health and prevent and alleviate human suffering worldwide regardless of race, religion or national heritage (http://www.redcross.org/services/intl/geneva.html).
REFERENCES
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