Stanford Report, December 6, 2006

2006 IN REVIEW: Stem cells’ newfound popularity

BY AMY ADAMS

For embryonic stem cells, 2006 could be the tale of two faces: Hwang Woo Suk and Michael J. Fox.

The year began with front-page revelations about how Hwang, one of the star researchers in the field, had essentially fabricated claims of creating new stem cell lines from cloned embryos. But while some scientists feared that this would be a blot on the field's promise, hope inspired by stem cells seemed to grow.

Indeed, when Fox, the actor who suffers from Parkinson's disease, appeared in commercials in the fall urging people to vote for candidates who called for ending federal restrictions on stem cell research, it appeared to turn the tide in several races, most notably in the election to the Senate of Claire McKaskill (D-Mo.).

"The year ended with a thundering note of support," said Christopher Scott, executive director of the Stanford Program on Stem Cells in Society, noting that it sets the stage for lawmakers to try to overcome President Bush's denial of federal funds for creating new embryonic stem cell lines.

Of course, what was behind the rising popular tide was a stream of scientific advances. "We are all making significant progress in the fields of adult tissue stem cell research, embryonic stem cell research and cancer/leukemia stem cell research," said Irving Weissman, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

At Stanford alone, in spite of the lack of federal funds, six new stem cell lines were created. Researchers also made progress toward using embryonic stem cells to replace lost pancreatic cells and to repair damage in the brain. And with scientists at Stanford taking major strides in the understanding of cancer stem cells, the medical school was awarded a $20 million gift to establish the Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine.

Remarkably, the stem cell work at Stanford and elsewhere has put the shock over Hwang's fraud in perspective. "If you look at the timeline of scientific research, that was a microdot," said Scott. Meanwhile, scientists have kept working to achieve what Hwang failed to do. "My feeling is that it's just a matter of time before we get that one licked for real," he added.