HEALTH

Human fetal tissue long used for variety of medical studies

Jul 29, 2015, 7:30 AM

FILE - This Oct. 21, 1954 file photo shows Dr. Frederick C. Robbins, new chief of pediatrics and contagious diseases at Cleveland City Hospital, after the announcement that he, Dr. John Enders and Dr. Thomas Weller were awarded the Nobel prize for medicine. The 1954 Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded for work with fetal tissue that led to developing a vaccine against polio. (AP Photo)

(AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — Controversy over Planned Parenthood’s supplying fetal tissue for research has focused attention on a little-discussed aspect of science.

Some of the organization’s affiliates, in fewer than five states, provide the tissue, according to Planned Parenthood. An anti-abortion group says the group is illegally making a profit from that, and has released covertly recorded videos about it.

Planned Parenthood says it receives only reimbursements for costs of providing tissue donated by women, and that it has done nothing illegal or improper.

The controversy led to a Senate bill to cut off federal funding for the organization. Republican leaders say the measure will be voted on before the August recess.

Some basic facts about fetal tissue in research:

WHAT IS FETAL TISSUE USED FOR?

Tissue from elective abortions and miscarriages is used for a wide variety of purposes. Scientists who want to regenerate organs and tissues may use it to learn how the human body makes them in the first place. Others look for defects in early development that can cause disease or miscarriage, or study normal development, which can guide therapeutic strategies. The tissue is also used to learn how medicines or toxins affect a fetus.

IS USING FETAL TISSUE A NEW IDEA?

Hardly. Scientists have worked with it since the 1930s. The 1954 Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded for work with fetal tissue that led to developing a vaccine against polio. The National Institutes of Health spent $76 million on human fetal tissue research in fiscal 2014.

WHAT DISEASES ARE BEING STUDIED TODAY?

AIDS and muscular dystrophy, for example. Some experimental treatments for spinal cord injury and macular degeneration involve transplanting fetal cells into patients. And European researchers recently began a study of putting fetal tissue into patients’ brains to treat Parkinson’s disease, a strategy that has had mixed results in the past.

HOW IS THE TISSUE PROVIDED?

It comes from hospitals and abortion clinics. Sometimes it goes directly to researchers, and in other cases it is handled by nonprofit organizations or companies that supply researchers. The groups or companies can be reimbursed for expenses associated with costs like processing and storing the tissue, federal law says.

DOES THE WOMAN HAVE TO AGREE TO USING THE TISSUE FOR RESEARCH?

Yes, she has to give consent. And the matter can’t be raised until after she has decided to have an abortion.

CAN’T RESEARCHERS JUST USE STEM CELLS INSTEAD?

Stem cells, including those obtained with adult donors, can develop into a variety of tissues in the lab. The European researchers in the Parkinson’s study and others hope to learn enough to use them someday for transplant tissue. Experts say stem cells have already substituted for fetal tissue for some purposes, but that scientists still need fetal tissue to learn basic information about how organs form, or help them simulate certain diseases in the test tube.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Health

Image shows empty cans and bottles....

KTAR.com

ADEQ encourages Arizonans to help shape state’s solid waste management plan

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is encouraging Arizonans to play an active role in the shaping of Arizona's solid waste management strategy.

4 months ago

Gastelum was also sentenced to an additional 12 months in prison for violating his federal probatio...

KTAR.com

Tennessee man convicted on sex trafficking charges after arrest in Arizona

A Tennessee man was convicted on sex trafficking charges after he was arrested in Arizona, authorities said Wednesday. 

4 months ago

Phoenix Children's Avondale...

Colton Krolak

Phoenix Children’s to open Avondale campus, meeting needs of southwest Valley

Phoenix Children’s is opening an emergency department on July 26 at its Avondale campus to help fill the need for pediatric services in the rapidly expanding southwest Valley.

1 year ago

Phoenix mom who triggered Amber Alert found unconscious with baby, drugs by her side...

Serena O'Sullivan

Police: Phoenix mom who triggered Amber Alert found unconscious with baby, drugs by her side

A mom who took her baby from a Phoenix hospital and triggered an Amber Alert was found unconscious with the child and drugs, officials said.

1 year ago

urgent care honorhealth...

Stephen Gugliociello

HonorHealth to acquire 26 urgent care centers from FastMed

Healthcare system HonorHealth has purchased 26 urgent care centers in Arizona from FastMed, the company announced Tuesday.

1 year ago

Food Bank Fridays campaign success 2023...

Serena O'Sullivan

Gaydos and Chad beat personal record in third year of Food Bank Fridays event

Each year, KTAR News 92.3 FM's Gaydos + Chad host their Food Bank Fridays campaign to provide free meals for people in need.

1 year ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Leading the Way in HVAC and Plumbing Services in Arizona

Tempe, AZ – Since its inception in 1985, Collins Comfort Masters has been a cornerstone in the HVAC and plumbing industry in Phoenix and the surrounding Valley.

...

Sanderson Ford

3 storylines to get you revved up for the 2024 Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals training camp is just a couple weeks away starting on July 25, and Sanderson Ford is revved up and ready to go.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University Clinic visits boost student training & community health

Going to a Midwestern University Clinic can help make you feel good in more ways than one.

Human fetal tissue long used for variety of medical studies