UNMC makes stem cell advance

A University of Nebraska Medical Center researcher said Thursday that his team has found a way to create cells that resemble embryonic stem cells.

Iqbal Ahmad, a professor of opthalmology, said that while Japanese researchers and others had made similar findings, those strategies involved introducing potentially destructive genetic material to the cells.

The UNMC strategy produces such cells without the genetic material that could harm the cells' DNA, said Ahmad, who has a doctorate in cell and molecular biology.

Ahmad's process also could allow researchers to circumvent the need to destroy human embryos. Anti-abortion groups liken the destruction of those embryos to the destruction of human life.

Nebraska Right to Life and other anti-abortion groups plan to protest today's meeting of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, which governs UNMC. The groups want the regents to prohibit the expansion of embryonic stem cell research at UNMC.

Ahmad said that despite his finding, it's essential that embryonic stem cell research continue. Such research helps all stem-cell research advance, he said. The UNMC team's research will be published in the international journal “Stem Cells.”

The team introduced certain proteins to adult cornea cells, then exposed those cells to elements secreted by embryonic stem cells.

The process turns the cornea cells into embryonic-like stem cells that have the potential to yield heart cells, liver cells and other cells. Ultimately, scientists hope these cells can be used to treat various diseases.

Ahmad said considerable work remains, including testing on rats and mice, before therapies result.

Further, embryonic stem cells must continue to be studied, he said, to better understand the makeup of the elements in the secretions. Once those are understood, Ahmad said, they can be created chemically and embryonic stem cells would no longer be required for the process.

Contact the writer:

444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com

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