ESTOOLS - Advances with human embryonic stem cells - Press reviews of Lisbon Symposium
Press reviews of Lisbon Symposium
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
On 2 June 2010 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung carried a review of the ESTOOLS Symposium "Stem Cells in Biology and Disease" held in Lisbon 26-28 May 2010.
Click here to read the full story in German.
"...Do we still need embryonic stem-cells of humans?" The question, which was raised by the event in the halls of Lisbon's Gulbenkian Foundation and ultimately formulated in the ethics research group, was of pleasing clarity. It is the question, which is currently on the mind of almost everyone from the domain. Researchers and ethicists as well as politicians..."
"...Admittedly, the issue is more complicated than thought - and it is evidently becoming more complicated. The fundamental reasons for this are carefully listed in a working paper, which was prepared by head ethicist of ESTOOLS, Göran Hermerén of Lund University, and his colleague Kristina Hug and distributed in Lisbon. Time and again, the set phrase emerges: we still simply know too little about the new iPS cells, compared with embryonic stem-cells..."
"...The comparability of the artificially reprogrammed and natural embryonic stem cells was the never-ending scientific discussion in Lisbon. Although the ESTOOLS EU project was created five years ago by 21 institutes from ten European nations in order to promote the research into embryonic stem cells, some of the groups involved were the first in Europe to put these new, promising stem cells under the magnifying glass, just a few months after Yamanaka's first human iPS...."
Download translation into English.
Público
A 31 May 2010 article in the Portuguese newspaper Público discussed the Ethics Workshop "Do we still need human embryonic stem cells?" held at the Gulbenkian Foundation on 28 May. Click here to read the full story online in Portuguese.
Remarking on the presentation by ESTOOLS workpackage leader Nissim Benvenisty, the article says:
"...To study the temporal regulation of the disease, embryonic stem cells are preferable", the scientist explained in his lecture. According to Benvenisty, IPS are good models for other diseases, even in fragile X, when the objective is to study the neuronal part. But it is not the best model for all cases. During his lecture, the researcher gave some examples of other cases in which genetics also undermine the idealistic notion that IPS could replace embryonic stem cells. The ethical dilemma surrounding the use of embryos therefore continues..."
Download full pdf in Portuguese.
Download pdf of the English translation.
International Journal of Developmental Biology
Meeting Review - published online 23 December 2010. See abstract
Also see the Stem Cell Briefing "Do we still need human embryonic stem cells?" on the ISSCR website, written by Sergio Pistoi (published 1 October 2010)
The ESTOOLS project completed its 4 years of activity. This website remains online as a reference archive.
For hESC and iPSC news and information go to: www.eurostemcell.org
