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Canada's first stem cell 'lines' created at Toronto hospital
Tom SpearsThe Ottawa Citizen
June 9, 2005
A Toronto hospital has created Canada's first two "lines" of stem cells which, taken from surplus human embryos at a fertility clinic, will be used to search for ways to repair damaged brains, hearts and other tissues.
Scientists were quick yesterday to say this propels Canada into the first rank of countries where stem cell research goes on. They also hold the hope that these cells, which can be made to take on the shape of any tissue in the body, will some day repair brains after a stroke, hearts damaged by disease, spinal injuries, eyes, kidneys and other damaged body parts.
This new announcement is something "that we should all be very proud of -- that Canada is now joining the club," said Michael Rudnicki of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, one of Canada's top stem cell experts.
"It is a milestone," added Mark Bisby, vice-president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Cells originate from embryos that were created originally in a glass dish to help a couple have a baby. When too many embryos result, only one or some of them are implanted in the mother-to-be. The rest are frozen, and usually discarded later.
Now, cells from two such embryos will be grown in cultures at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. These will divide into more cells, all remaining at the crucial, early stage when an embryo's cells are not fully developed, but still waiting to take on the final form of muscle cells, bone cells, neurons and so on.
The cell lines are the work of geneticist Andras Nagy. Both come from embryos that were not allowed to develop past the stage of a ball of 60 to 80 cells. The embryos weren't created in order to make stem cells, but were left over from in-vitro fertilization clinics, and would otherwise be destroyed.
Last year's federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act allows research on human embryonic stem cells, but makes it subject to ethical review by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's stem cell oversight committee. It was backed by Jewish and Islamic advisers, but opposed by the Catholic Church and other groups that argue all viable human embryos are alive and must be protected.
The cell lines had to go through Canadian ethical rules: They were obtained with consent that came through a neutral third party, and they weren't bought.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2005