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A Look into Stem Cell Research

There was hardly a household in America that was not tuned in for news in the days following actor Christopher Reeve's accident at an equestrian competition in Culpeper County, Virginia, in May of 1995.  Known for his professional acting career, athleticism, and advocacy work, Reeve was also a passionate rider.  The accident happened on the third jump of a two-mile cross-country jumping event.  His horse suddenly stopped midway over the fence.  Reeve was catapulted headfirst.  His fall caused multiple fractures of his first and second cervical vertebrae, shattering C1 and C2.  During surgery, his head had to be literally reattached to his spinal column.  The actor who was known to millions worldwide as Superman, "the man of steel," was fighting for his life.

Eight weeks after surgery, Reeve was left ventilator dependent and quadriplegic from his shoulders down because of a 20-mm gap in his spine that prevented neuron flow and movement.  He endured six months of intensive physical therapy at Kessler Rehabilitation Institute in New Jersey before moving back home with his wife, Dana, and their three children—Matthew, now a recent college graduate, Alexandra, currently a college student, and Will, the youngest.  Reeve's condition led to several medical complications, including pneumonia, infectious blood clots, wounds that wouldn't heal, and a condition called autonomic disreflexia that involves elevated blood pressure.

Seven years since his accident, Reeve has gradually regained sensation in his left leg, parts of his left arm, and down his spine.  He has learned to breathe on his own for up to 90 minutes at a time and is currently on a treadmill routine where he walks suspended from a harness.  Despite all the hardship, he has kept an optimistic outlook and is confident that one day he will walk on his own again.  Founder of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF), which is a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) whose explicit goal is to raise funds for stem cell research across the globe (including the U.S., Australia, India, Sweden, and Israel), Reeve is an active advocate for federal funding and regulation of embryonic stem cell research and sincerely believes that this scientific breakthrough holds the near future therapeutic promise for repairing his damaged nervous system.  In addition, he is confident that stem cell therapy will help thousands of individuals who suffer from autoimmune diseases and other illnesses, including Parkinson's disease (Michael J. Fox), diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, cancer, lupus, stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis ... the list goes on.

Cell therapy is already used in bone marrow transplants to replace the hematopoietic cells of cancer patients.  Also, recent cell therapy experiments involving skin cell grafting for serious burn patients, pancreatic cell transplants for diabetics, and dopamine-carrying cells for Parkinson's patients have shown great promise.

The Senate's indecision over approval of progressive stem cell research, recent congressional hearings, government agency meetings, increased media coverage, and advocacy by Reeve and his supporters have brought this issue into the public spotlight.  It is critical that people are properly informed about the facts and concepts behind stem cell research in order to make an educated decision about the scientific, medical, and ethical issues.

Date Posted:  01/24/03 nas
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