In a bid to educate the public about the promises offered by adult stem-cell therapies, the Catholic Church has brought together scientists, politicians, Church leaders, students and journalists at a conference in the Vatican.
The Church is promoting adult stem-cell research as ethical and scientifically more promising than embryonic stem-cell research, which requires the destruction of embryos.
Adult stem cells can be safely taken from bone marrow, the blood stream, cornea and retina of the eye, the dental pulp of the tooth, liver, skin, gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue or pancreas.
They offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat a myriad of diseases, conditions and disabilities.
The three-day conference was attended by a 14-year-old boy who had his windpipe replaced with one grown using his own stem cells.
Ciaran Finn-Lynch, who made the trip from Northern Ireland, was born with long-segment tracheal stenosis, a condition that resulted in a narrow windpipe and made it hard for him to breathe.
The Vatican started promoting adult stem cells in 2011, when its Pontifical Council for Culture launched a collaboration with the United States bio-pharmaceutical company NeoStem.
The chairman of NeoStem, Dr Robin Smith, said the promises offered by adult stem-cell therapies “come with no ethical blemishes”.
She said political arguments during the last 20 years over embryonic stem-cell science had created confusion and “ultimately clouded global awareness of the ethical research” found in adult stem cells.
“We want to correct the misunderstanding in public opinion on adult stem cells. People need to understand how far we are with research,” she said.
Smith said there are around 4300 treatments based on adult stem cells which are now in clinical trials, and only 26 based on embryonic stem cells.
“To address global suffering, one does not have to choose between faith and science…. These two ideas fit together symbiotically,” she said.
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Image: The Times