Madam Speaker, the member will well know that when the whole issue on embryonic stem cell research came up, the assertion was that embryonic stem cells had more potential than adult stem cells, that is non-embryonic stem cells. The member is quite right. In fact there have been over 50 research papers since that time showing the plasticity or flexibility of adult stem cells.
Probably the most significant study comes out of the University of Minnesota Stem Cell Research Institute, by Dr. Catherine Verfaillie. Dr. Verfaillie has the research evidence now that stem cells taken from the bone marrow of a human being can be morphed or adjusted to become virtually any cell in the human body. It can do anything an embryonic stem cell can do. This is very significant because the intent of one of the recommendations, I think it is recommendation 14, of the report of the health committee on the draft legislation is that embryonic stem cell research be permitted only if necessary and that necessary be defined as there is no other ethical alternative that could achieve the same research objectives.
If the bill were to incorporate that definition of necessary, and I am not sure who could be against that definition, then the whole question of whether we want embryonic or adult stem cells used for therapies is moot because there is an ethical alternative.
On top of that, Canadians may not know this, but stem cells out of embryos have a different DNA than the patient in which they would be used. As such, if we were to use those stem cells to treat someone else, there would be an immunosuppressive reaction, that is immune rejection. It would mean that the patient would require lifelong anti-rejection drugs.
On the other hand, adult stem cells would come out of the patient's own body. They would be adjusted to become the cells necessary to repair damaged cells. They would be injected into the blood and automatically migrate to the area that had the problem. All of a sudden, having the same genetic makeup and same DNA, there would be no rejection.
Therefore, if there is an ethical alternative and no need for anti-rejection drugs lifelong, why would we ever consider using embryonic stem cells? That is why we had people like Dr. Ron Worton and Dr. Alan Bernstein advocating for therapeutic cloning, which is a process of taking the nucleus out of embryonic stem cells and re-introducing the patient's own cells, and that would be compatible. The only problem is it is cloning. If we allow that new nucleus in there to start dividing, all of a sudden we would have a full human clone. This is banned under the legislation.