March 21, 2005
A WORTHWHILE PELL GRANT:
Pell hails stem cell discovery (Wayne Smith, March 22, 2005, news.com.au)
CATHOLIC Archbishop George Pell will refer to Rome an Australian scientific breakthrough that could make obsolete the moral and ethical debate surrounding embryonic stem cell research.Griffith University's Alan Mackay-Sim yesterday published the results of a four-year project that succeeded in growing adult stem cells harvested from the nose.
The cells appear to be able to deliver everything that embryonic stem cell research promises, but without the medical and ethical side-effects.
Professor Mackay-Sim said the easily harvested and grown olfactory stem cells are capable of being turned into heart cells, brain cells, nerve cells, indeed almost any kind of cell in the body, without the problems of rejection or tumours forming, which can happen in one in five cases when embryonic stem cells are injected into the body.
The university research team, partially funded by a $50,000 grant from the Catholic Church directly approved by Cardinal Pell, appears to have found a direct and non-controversial alternative to the use of stem cells derived from leftover embryos created during IVF fertility treatment.
Cardinal Pell, who has lobbied for a national ban on embryonic stem cell research, said there was a real possibility the findings had made "an enormous contribution".
"I would be happy to communicate it to the Pontifical Academy of Science to expedite the scientific examination and also to spread the word about the success," he said.
He also indicated he was prepared to put more Catholic funding into the project.
You'd like to think that a John Kerry would be breathing a sigh of relief at dodging a moral bullet. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 21, 2005 4:59 PM
An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A nose for a nose. I don't know what that means but it sounds brilliant.
Posted by: carter at March 21, 2005 5:21 PMBravo for the Cardinal. Now, if the USCCB wern't hiring so many lawyers and paying huge punitive damages to deal with the recent unpleasantness they'd have done the same thing, right?
Posted by: Luciferous at March 21, 2005 5:26 PMheheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Kalifornia is on the hook for $3 billion for those who didn't know the nose knows.
And the petty turf squabbling is entertaining.
Posted by: Sandy P at March 21, 2005 5:28 PMI hate to say this, but for many on the left, this takes all the fun out of it.
Posted by: ratbert at March 21, 2005 6:27 PMSandy P:
You don't know the half of it. Wait 'till the dust settles and see how much in taxpayer subsidies are lavished on these research companies to locate in particular California cities.
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at March 21, 2005 7:15 PM