Why Trounson changed his views on stem cells

When Australia's best known stem cell researcher told a parliamentary committee on cloning that the nation had enough cell lines to maintain its research needs, even he couldn't foresee how swiftly the scenario would change.

Even less likely for Prof Alan Trounson would have been the probability that his very own comments made over the past 18 months, and most recently last November, could harm his cause.

But this seems to be precisely the predicament the Monash University scientist has found himself in.

Since making those comments, industry developments have made old stem cell lines - those created using some animal cells, and which make up the Australian stock - virtually obsolete.

The powerful Food and Drug Administration in the United States has since ruled that any trials involving stem cell lines made with animal cells would be classified as cross-species, making it more difficult to secure approval.

Trounson said this would obviously make any therapeutic product that might spin out of research using existing lines unviable.

"If we are unable to create new human lines we would be severely handicapped and uncompetitive and we would have to buy stem cell lines from outside Australia," he said.

"It would pretty much wipe out the work we are doing."

Foggy future

Because of the looming legislative changes, the future of local embryonic stem cell research in particular is rather foggy.

Regardless, Trounson and his backers are ploughing ahead with a proposal currently before the Biotechnology Centre of Excellence Panel for $43.5 million to help establish a $105 million Centre for Stem Cells and Tissue Repair.

The centre, which Trounson would head, would bring together a range of institutes and industry players including BresaGen, ES Cell International, the Australian Genome Research Facility, the Victor Chang Cardiovascular Research Institute, John Curtin School of Medical Research and universities in Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide and New South Wales.

Trounson said the proposal marks the first time adult and embryonic stem cell research have been linked nationally to enable a coordinated approach to the field.

"That, I predict, will get us to clinical trials for cell therapies and I believe Australia will be first off the rank in doing so," he forecast.

"Here we have created an incredible advance that they can't easily do in the US because they don't have drivers to work together - in fact, they have commercial interests that drive them apart.

"We are currently leading in this area and I think what we have here creates a huge advance."

Dr Susan Forrest, scientific director of the Australian Genome Research Facility, agreed, saying the centre would enable a number of advances.

"We know there is a potential for stem cells as a therapy but we need proof of principle and a focused research area that is well governed to choose the right experiments and specific targets is what is needed," Forrest said.

"I think what the public wants to see is ethical and responsible research conducted and what needs to happen is for Kevin Andrews' group to allow that to occur."

Consolidated research

Forrest said that by forming a consolidated research group in the controversial sector, there was a greater opportunity for monitoring and governance than if the research remained decentralised.

Minister for Ageing Kevin Andrews has made a submission to Federal Cabinet based on Trounson's past statements that existing cell lines were sufficient, arguing that research using human embryos should be banned.

Stem cells, regarded as the building blocks of the body from which any human tissue can be created, can be derived from embryos or from adult cells.

This provides the potential for treatments for such diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes among others.

However, scientists say that research is mounting to suggest adult stem cells cannot differentiate in the same way as embryonic stem cells, making them less attractive to researchers.

The chief executive officer of ES Cell International, Dr Robert Klupacs, said his company was most interested in embryonic stem cells.

The company, which holds six of the world's embryonic stem cell lines, recently recruited a scientist involved in the cloning of Dolly the sheep, Dr Alan Colman.

Exciting potential

Klupacs said the exciting potential of stem cell therapies desperately needed an avenue for progression in Australia, or risked disappearing altogether.

"What's so fantastic about stem cells is that at least prima facie they have the ability to be anything and replace bad cells in the nastiest diseases to elicit a cure rather than simply treating the symptoms," he said.

"If this centre wanted to research products and manufacture them, but then couldn't access new lines, then they will have done all this wonderful and compelling research and not be able to make a product.

"It would have to go offshore or close down.

"If Kevin Andrews is making his decision based on past comments, he should give those people the right of reply."

On Monday March 11, Trounson did take up the opportunity to have an audience with Prime Minister John Howard on the subject.

And while the outcome of that discussion is not clear, Trounson said he felt confident the government's decision would not adversely impact on his group's work.

Confident

"I believe the Federal government will be making a recommendation based on the majority view and I don't think it will impact on us in reality," Trounson said.

"I don't think it will interfere with our capabilities."

He also said he felt confident that many state governments were also on his side in supporting the potential of embryonic stem cell therapies.

Klupacs is not so sure, but says and regulatory change would effect only business decisions, because the basic research could still proceed in Australia using old stem cell lines.

"If we play around with the legislation too much it will make Australia irrelevant, which is a shame given we have many of the best people in the world in this field," he said.

"If we want a biotech industry in this country we have to be mindful of the effect of legislative decisions on business decisions."