University scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research (SIMR) work daily to unlock the secrets of life and the human body. Their ranks will grow over the next 10 years, should SIMR proceed with its plans for a $250 million, 600,000-square-foot expansion of their facilities in Kansas City.
But that expansion, and the economic and academic windfall the city and the University would receive, may not happen if types of stem cell research are banned in Missouri.
William Neaves, president and chief executive of SIMR, announced last month that Stowers would expand elsewhere if the Missouri General Assembly voted to ban new embryonic stem cell research. No such bans are currently on the books, but opponents of the research will seek one for the forth year in a row during the next legislative session.
"Neither adult nor embryonic stem cells should be excluded in research until clear advantages and disadvantages can be determined for each," said Keith Gary, Ph.D., director of program development at the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.
"[Stowers] is currently endowed at $1.6 billion," said Gary, "45 percent is unconverted American Century [Investments] stock. Once converted, the endowment will easily exceed $3 billion. SIMR has a vision for building an additional research facility each decade for perpetuity. Each expansion phase occurring in Kansas City will significantly impact the economy, the life sciences initiative and basic biomedical research in our region." The endowment for Stowers is rated as the second largest in the country.
Under the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Initiative, local leaders are working to transform Kansas City into a national center for life sciences research. The University of Kansas and UMKC play central roles in the initiative.
Amanda Denning, UMKC Public Relations specialist, stated that the University has been working with Stowers Institute since the late 1990s. The first discussions between the two institutions occurred in 1998. Stowers officially opened in 2000.
According to the National Institutes of Health, stem cells are basic building blocks from which all systems of the human body develop. They are unspecialized cells that can divide multiple times over long periods and transform into specific types of cells. Scientists hope stem cell-based research will lead to cures for ailments such as Parkinson's disease.
Stem cell research is conducted around two types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. Embryonic stem cells are taken from unfertilized human embryos only two or three days old, and their removal destroys the unfertilized embryo.
Adult stem cells are found in the tissues of the human body. Less numerous than embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells repair or replace damaged and unhealthy cells. They usually transform into the tissues surrounding them, but experiments have shown they can also transform into various other types of cell tissues.
According to Denning, the two university stem cell researchers at SIMR work only with adult stem cells. In 2003, the team discovered the microenvironment in bone tissue where certain types of self-replicating stem cells reside. Their goal is that the discovery may one day help restore the bone marrow of cancer patients after chemotherapy and radiation.
A political, scientific and ethical battle is currently being waged across America over the issue of stem cell research. The Bush administration in 2001 put limits on embryonic stem cell research over concerns about human cloning and the question of when life begins. A growing number of scientists, businessmen and celebrities oppose the limits, believing they have slowed the pace of related medical breakthroughs.
John Allen, UMKC Public Relations director, stated that University researchers strictly abide by federal rules concerning stem cell research.
"The Stowers Institute is critical to the strength of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Initiative," said Nancy Mills, Ph. D., interim vice chancellor for research. "Given [Stower's] plan for a new expansion every 10 years, the potential Stowers brings to our area cannot be underestimated. Having a premier institute like Stowers in the heart of Kansas City helps UMKC attract top faculty and students to the region as we strengthen our life sciences mission."
eberg@unews.com
