A cluster of 150 to 200 cells the typical number of cells comprising an embryo

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1 Emma Roller J.404 jlb 10/6/10 A cluster of 150 to 200 cells the typical number of cells comprising an embryo used in stem-cell research may tip the scales to determine this fall s gubernatorial race. Like abortion, stem-cell research has the potential to be a wedge issue in the governor s race, drawing moderates to one side or the other. While Democratic candidate Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett supports abortion rights, Republican candidate Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is against abortion even in instances of rape or incest. Similarly, Barrett supports all stem-cell research, while Walker only supports adult stem-cell research. Both of these issues come down to the candidate s opinion on the medical and ethical value of the human embryo. So what does the governor s race mean for stem-cell research in Wisconsin? If Barrett wins, not much. If Walker wins, however, it could mean the vast privatization of a field the University of Wisconsin has championed since the 1990s. John Wiley, former UW-Madison chancellor and current director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, said the governor s position can have enormous effect on stem-cell research in the state. Wiley added the governor s veto power can effectively trounce a split state Legislature such as that of the current session, which is 55 percent Democrat, 45 percent Republican in the state Senate and 53 percent Democrat, 46 percent Republican in the state Assembly. However, stem-cell research is not always a party-line issue. Along with current Governor Jim Doyle, former Governor Tommy Thompson and First Lady Nancy Reagan are just two Republican proponents of stem-cell research. Although some Republican

2 state lawmakers may not be opposed to embryonic stem-cell research, they may try to save face and appeal to their voter base during the re-election season by hardening their stance on the issue. During the Doyle administration, lawmakers could intentionally vote against stem-cell research despite supporting it, safe in the fact that they could lean on the governor s veto to overturn their vote. For example, if a member of the state Legislature did not oppose stem-cell research but many of her constituents did, she could vote to restrict stem-cell research while banking on the governor s veto. If Walker is elected governor, the state Legislature could see the opposite effect state lawmakers who oppose stem-cell research could still vote for it while depending on Walker s veto, but the risks would be higher. This is because it is easier for legislators to alienate themselves from a voting base that is against using embryos in research than one that supports it. Although Walker is against all forms of embryonic stem-cell research, Wiley said an attempt to ban all embryonic stem-cell research in Wisconsin would be difficult to pass through both houses of the state Legislature. More likely, if elected Walker would wield his veto power to restrict or quash public funding for embryonic stem-cell research. If embryonic stem-cell research at institutions such as UW-Madison were cut off from state funding, Wisconsin researchers could collaborate with other states or seek private funding from research organizations such as Madison s Morgridge Institute for Research. Although the university would have some recourse for stem-cell research without public funding, Wiley said it would make UW far less attractive to potential researchers. I would rather not have to face that situation. It makes Wisconsin less competitive, Wiley said.

3 Barrett s campaign recently lambasted Walker in a political advertisement for being against stem-cell research. Walker s campaign shot back that Walker is only against embryonic stem-cell research, not adult stem-cell research. Walker s running mate, Rebecca Kleefisch, made the same case after visiting Madison last Friday, careful not to alienate university administrators. "I'm proud that our university system and the teaching hospitals in Wisconsin are on the cutting edge of medical research, but the answers are not with destroying embryos for research," Kleefisch told Isthmus. "The advancements that come in stem-cell research come from adult stem-cell research." Embryonic stem cells are taken from a blastocyst, or an embryo that is four to five days old. Many researchers use embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics. The cells taken from the blastocyst are pluripotent, meaning they have the ability to differentiate into any adult cell type, from bone cells to muscle cells to lung cells. This is why embryonic stem cells are currently the medium most widely used for stem-cell research. Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells are already differentiated to some extent, but can be taken from bone marrow and blood, then condensed and used for regenerative therapy, in which a patient s own stem cells are used to regrow tissue in damaged areas. Though there seem to exist obvious benefits to using embryonic stem cells, the field of adult stem-cell research is becoming both more prominent and promising with new developments. In 2007 a research team led by Jamie Thomson, director of regenerative biology at the Morgridge Institute, made a striking breakthrough by essentially reprogramming regular adult somatic (body) cells to induced pluripotent stem

4 cells, or ips. This research, though still very much in its early stages, could mean researchers may someday be able to use regular cells for stem-cell research. Still, Wiley is hesitant for Wisconsin researchers to abandon embryonic stem-cell research as Walker advocates. There s a great deal of potential for adult stem cells but really the goal is to study cell development from the beginning to the end, Wiley said. If Walker has his way November 2, public funding to study the beginning of cell life could meet an abrupt end. Sources John Wiley: Wisconsin State Senate: Wisconsin State Assembly: Breakfast with Wisconsin Lt. Gov. candidate Rebecca Kleefisch: Federal funding for stem cell research to continue temporarily: Adult Stem Cell Research Leaving Embryos Behind: Barrett stem cell ad called lie by Walker: Scott Walker Unveils Plan to Bring 250,000 Jobs and 10,000 New Businesses to Wisconsin by 2015: Study shows Wisconsin's bioscience industry is lucrative and growing:

5 Abortion, birth control are wedge issues in governor's race: Stem Cell Ethics Fact Sheet: Walker promises to cut taxes, but Barrett says that would lead to huge debt: 8b20-001cc4c03286.html Scientists find more efficient, safer way to reprogram cells: