NO EMBRYOS were harmed in making these stem cells – that was the message of a press release issued by Nature on 21 August, and reported in 91av (26 August, p 10) and elsewhere. Bob Lanza and his colleagues at Advanced Cell Technology had derived human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) “while leaving the embryo intact”, Nature explained. That could answer those who object to the destruction of human embryos for ESC research.
However, when scientists read the paper in detail they found that whereas in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) a single cell is taken without harming the embryo, Lanza’s team repeatedly took cells from individual embryos. As a result the embryos did not survive.
Lanza argues that PGD is a routine technique, so it was not necessary to show that embryos could survive. “We took each cell exactly as is done in PGD.”
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“A Nature was twice forced to correct its press release, critics seized on the confusion”
But as Nature was twice forced to correct its press release, critics seized on the confusion. “All they showed was that you can kill an embryo at an earlier stage,” Richard Doerflinger of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops told the Catholic News Service.
