Originally published Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Close-up
Stem-cell breakthrough may help UW researchers
A new method for creating embryonic stem cells would put a host of research projects on a fast track at the University of Washington, where...
Seattle Times health reporter
A new method for creating embryonic stem cells would put a host of research projects on a fast track at the University of Washington, where scientists have been limited by aging embryonic stem-cell lines that have been fading as if they'd been "through generations of photocopying."
At the UW's Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, more than 70 researchers are trying to harness the regenerative powers of stem cells to treat conditions including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, deafness and amputation.
In the immediate term, the experimental technique announced Tuesday by teams in Japan and Wisconsin could be most useful in the fight against diabetes and heart disease, said Dr. Charles Murry, associate professor of pathology at the UW and co-director of the stem-cell institute.
That's because researchers haven't figured out how to grow heart cells or insulin-producing cells using adult stem cells. So a fresh supply of embryonic stem cells could put researchers that much closer to finding cures, Murry said.
"It could change our work pretty dramatically," Murry said. "I haven't been this excited about somebody else's work in a while."
Some of the UW scientists are using 14 of the 21 embryonic stem-cell lines now allowed by the federal government. But the lines are aging and losing some of their useful properties, Murry said.
Murry first heard rumors about the new technique last week. Shortly after the news broke Tuesday, Murry sent e-mails to both research teams in Japan and Wisconsin asking for use of the newly created stem cells.
But Murry cautions that creating embryonic stem cells is just one step in a difficult — and perhaps impossible — quest to grow useful cells that might reverse paralysis, restore hearing and a host of other hoped-for cures.
Kyung Song: 206-464-2423 or ksong@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Lake Union fireworks fun based on a blast from the past
Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
Walk the deck of a restored schooner
Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
Oxygen loss tied to sky divers' crash

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
shopping

events for Saturday, Jul. 4th
- Darrington Open Air Market
- REI Summer Sale and Clearance
- Jaxx Boutik Summer Sale
- Kibbn Storewide Summer Sale
editors' picks
More shopping guides- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Palin resignation leaves questions on 2012 run
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- 6 jurors swear a cop's wife swayed panel in Kent civil rights case
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Bicyclist killed Wednesday night is identified
- Mariners Blog | Mariners, Angels have serious trade deadline advantage over Texas Rangers
- Powerful sedative found in Michael Jackson's home
- It's a blank slate now but will the Othello station fulfill plans for high-density shopping area?
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
539 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
342 - Obama's own party worried health plan lacks votes
248 - Yakima teacher reprimanded for backpack feces
87 - Recession wipes out 9 years of job gains
86 - 6 jurors swear a cop's wife swayed panel in Kent civil rights case
70 - Obama's practical immigration-reform approach: Legalize status of illegal workers
67 - Global warming may impede eelgrass growth
66 - Eyman initiative looks likely for November ballot
55 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
54
- Going to Gas Works Park? Good luck
- Liven up Fremont's attempt to break a world record for a 'zombie walk'
- Lynnwood's City Bank gets tighter scrutiny
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Retail Report | Pet-supply shops grow while other retailers fade
- Fire sends service providers scrambling
- Oregon woman obsessed with rabbits back in jail
- Police: Teens mishear sex screams, beat man
- Palin resignation leaves questions on 2012 run
- Recession wipes out 9 years of job gains
