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SCIENCE : STEM CELL RESEARCH
India's Strategic Position
India is ideally
positioned to take advantage of this situation for several reasons. Though
the National Bioethics Committee has banned human cloning, there is no
legal restriction on stem cell research. "We have a better opportunity
to get sample embryonic tissues," says Sayed Hasnain, director of
the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD). "We also
have more manpower to finish the projects quickly." Singapore, for
instance, has benefited by supplying frozen embryos to Australia. "There
is a fierce competition for frozen embryos," notes Cambridge University
cell biologist Nancy Lane. India has no dearth of embryos because of its
large population.
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ANTI-RESEARCH LOBBY: Believes even early life is essentially
human and equates the work with using human life as a tool. Stem-cell
research can be used to argue the case for banned techniques like
human cloning.
PRO-RESEARCH LOBBY: Say a group of cells does not constitute
life in the first 14 days after conception. Besides, the tremendous
medical benefits from stem cell research can help improve the quality
of life.
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SPEAKING UP: The
Pope inspires pro-lifers |
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LIMITED AID: Bush
offers partial backing |
What makes these cells so important? While every
cell has genetic information, the egg alone has the ability to develop
into an entire human being. When a fertilised egg divides after conception,
the first few sets of cells-the embryonic stem cells-are all powerful.
They can grow into any part of the body. Biochemical signals to the egg
dictate whether they are destined a be a brain, kidney, toe or any of
the 220 different cell types found in human beings. The specialised cell,
or "differentiated" cell in science-speak, with age, loses its
ability to be multifaceted. But capture the cells at an early stage, grow
them in a Petri dish, bombard them with the right signals- and you have
them at your mercy to make them what you please. Manipulate them a step
further by tweaking genes to correct diseases and you have a medical revolution
in your hands.
India has been a part of the stem cell research
bandwagon, albeit in a modest manner. Till date, most research here has
utilised adult stem cells, remnants of unspecialised cells found in adults.
"We have actively encouraged stem cell research and have funded several
projects," says V.K. Vinayak, adviser, medical biotechnology, Department
of Biotechnology (DBT). At the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad,
Geetya Kashyap and Virender Sangwan turned to these cells to restore sight
to blind patients. "In cases of chemical burns, infections or Steven
Johnson's syndrome, scarring of the cornea leads to blindness," explains
Kashyap. The only option so far had been transplantation of a part of
tissue from the healthy eye. It is risky and frequently rejected. The
tissue grown from stem cells has no such drawbacks. "The 20 patients
tested so far have suffered no untoward reaction," says Kashyap.
At Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi, B.G.
Matapurkar obtained a US patent for a scientific surgical technique that
allows regeneration of organs by transplanting adult stem cells at the
right place in the body. No special injections, no extra hormones. Within
two to three months the organs are developed. In human beings, his work
has been limited to success with 60 patients suffering from incisional
hernia. Other doctors are sceptical. "When a patient comes to me,
he needs an organ within four hours not three months," says R. Rajasekhar,
senior consultant at the Apollo Hospital. Nevertheless, Matapurkar's work
highlights the potency of stem cells.
Another group of Indian scientists intends to
attack, among others, heart disease. The Indian Institute of Sciences,
the Deccan Medical College Centre for Liver Diseases, CDFD and the Bharat
Biotech are collaborating in an ambitious project to isolate different
types of stem cells from embryos and adults. Some of these will be grown
into liver cells. Cholesterol has its origins in the liver. "High
cholesterol level is due to a defective gene," explains Subha Lahiri,
general manager, technical services, Bharat Biotech. "If we infuse
a liver cell with a normal gene and allow it to regenerate, the disease
can be corrected," he says. Apart from focusing on liver and kidney,
the group will also attempt to establish a stem cell bank.
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