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CNN Live At Daybreak
The Science Behind Stem Cell Research
Aired September 05, 2001 - 08:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: The science behind stem cell research is still a bit mysterious to most of us. So while the scientists debate the politics of the issue on Capitol Hill today, we thought we would take you behind the scenes for a little science lesson.
CNN has unprecedented access to a lab storing some stem cell lines approved by the president.
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is at the lab in Athens, Georgia about 40 miles from our studio here.
Elizabeth, this is pretty exciting stuff.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very exciting stuff, Vince.
There are only 10 labs in the entire world that have permission to receive federal funding for their human embryonic stem cell lines. That's only 10 in the entire world. And I am in one of them here in Athens, Georgia. It's a company called Bresagen.
Now before we get to this company and what they do, let's talk a little bit about what stem cells are. You have heard about them all summer. Don't be embarrassed to admit if you don't quite understand what stem cells are, because you are probably in good company.
So we have a little explanation for you. Stem cells, like all of us, start as a sperm and an egg. It then turns into an embryo. You can see it there dividing. All of those cells inside are stem cells. They are taken out. They are put into a Petri dish, and then if cultured correctly, they can be put into a bottle, and then it can be put into many different flasks. These stem cells can grow and grow and grow until there are millions upon millions of them.
And then, that's what this company here, Bresagen, does, they grow stem cells. They have four different stem cell lines. In other words, they started with four embryos, and now they have four groups of stem cells. And we're here with the CEO of Bresagen, John Smeaton, and he's going to talk to us.
Why are these cells so potentially important? The NIH says they could revolutionize medicine.
JOHN SMEATON, BRESAGEN: Well, Elizabeth, I think we need to think about as perhaps a scientific voyage of discovery that we are now embarking on. And these cells, as you said, ultimately become us. They become humans. They become the 200-odd different types of cells that make us up. They differentiate into skin cells, into eye cells, liver cells, et cetera.
What we're going to do in association with labs around the world now is we're going to find out how all of that happens. We're going to find out the factors that are involved: What makes one cell change into another type of cell? And as we find that out, that's going to produce great opportunities for new medical treatments, both those factors themselves and the cell types that we discover here tonight (ph). Both of those are potential medical cures. And I think that's what's exciting about it.
COHEN: So out of these embryonic stem cells, you could potentially make sort of spare body parts basically. And you have received requests for these embryonic stem cells from people in the U.S., all over Europe, Israel.
Are you going to charge them a lot of money for these?
SMEATON: No, we're not actually. That's right. We have had, I think, about 20 requests so far from various labs who would like to work in this field.
With respect to sort of (ph) other people's intellectual property, and there's quite a lot around in this area, we have some; others have some. And as long as it can be worked out there, it would be our intention and desire to distribute these cells initially for no charge. There will be some scientific hurdles to overcome to do this. And we would then expect to share in any discoveries that the labs make on perhaps a first right of refusal basis, which I think is not really a very onerous request. But we're anxious to see this work proceed.
COHEN: Well, thank you, John Smeaton, CEO of Bresagen, one of only 10 labs in the world that have human embryonic stem cells that can receive federal funding -- Vince.
CELLINI: All right, Elizabeth. And we are there -- thank you very much.
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