Mr. Speaker, in nearly 20 years of research in animal models using embryonic stem cells and for very practical reasons, when the embryonic stem cells are put into another body it is a simple fact that the human body contains some 80 trillion to 100 trillion cells. That is a lot of cells. It is a big network. The human body checks licence plates. The immune system will kick out a cell that does not belong, which is why people with organ transplants have to take anti-rejection drugs. If we take cells from an embryo and put them into a human body, they are going to be attacked by the immune system and rejected unless that person takes immune-suppressing drugs.
There is certainly very promising results with adult cells in Parkinson's. I stood face to face with a man who had multiple myeloma which is a very serious bone cancer. Adult cells were extracted from his body. Chemotherapy was used to kill his bone marrow where the multiple myeloma was situated and afterward, his own stem cells were reintroduced. He re-established his own cells and was doing just fine.
Adult cells, where they do not have the rejection problems, taking cells out of one's own body, growing them in vitro and injecting them back into the body, show tremendous promise. We understand it is quite possible to stimulate the bone marrow to kick out extra stem cells from the marrow chemically and then to extract them from the circulation with a simple blood withdrawal. Because they are of a different specific gravity, they can be separated from other cells in a centrifuge. They can be grown in a Petri dish and reinjected back into the body allowing those stem cells to find the area undergoing repair, whether it is a heart that has had a myocardial infarct or some other area of repair. The tissues will establish themselves and begin to identify with the tissue around them and show tremendous promise for repair that will not need major medical interventions and a lot of help afterward. It will be healthy tissue and a healthier patient.
There is tremendous promise in adult cell research but as we heard from the member for Mississauga South and at committee from several researchers, the profits seem to be on the embryos. If it is ever made to work it, will take a major intervention of some kind from industry to keep the patient alive and there are huge profits to be made.
I have a bigger concern. They are going to have great trouble making embryonic stem cells work because of the reasons we have mentioned, particularly the immune attack and immune incompatibility. I am concerned that they can establish a stem cell line, or would like to, that will grow a product, maybe dopamine for the Parkinson's patient and they will be able to create a little farm out of that stem cell line and extract a product which will be very profitable as long as one continues to take the product, whether it is dopamine or whether it is neurotransmitters for the Alzheimer's patient or insulin for the diabetic.
Frankly there is a tremendous possibility for profits if farms can be established of human tissue that will grow products that can be used to ameliorate human disease. That is a major concern. That is why we on this side of the House recommended in our minority report that we impose a three year moratorium on embryonic stem cell research while we give full effort with public funds toward developing the potential of adult stem cells. Canada has the potential perhaps to be a world leader in this area of research if we make our emphasis in the right area.
We called for and hope the members will still consider a right approach for Canada to be a leader. Let us find a way to make the adult cells available to Canadians and advance the researchers who have a great interest in this area.