Catholic Church Funds Adult Stem Cell Research

The Catholic Church in Korea has decided to donate money for adult stem cell research as a response to Vatican opposition to embryonic stem cell research.

In Korea, a country leading that field of science, the Catholic Church is donating millions of dollars to aid research involving adult stem cells hoping to reduce the increasing reliance on embryonic stem cells to treat hard-to-cure diseases. But the Church has been among the most vocal opponents of embryonic stem cell research based on the belief that embryos are human beings.

"The research harms the integrity of life, and that's why we cannot accept the use of embryos," the church said.

Nevertheless, the church wants to fund research on adult stem cells derived from bone marrow or umbilical cords that would otherwise be discarded after a baby is born, beleiving that this practice does not cause ethical controversy.

The Seoul Diocese set up a committee to donate W10 billion (US$10 million).

The church will not support the research of Korea's Dr. Hwang Woo-suk who grabbed the world's attention last year by announcing the successful cloning of a human embryo. His work has been criticized by catholics, since it involves human eggs and destroys embryos to harvest stem cell batches.

Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any cell or tissue of a human body like bone, skin or blood, but adult stem cells can only be used to create specific cell types like muscle tissue from muscle stem cells.

The decision by the Seoul Diocese may still fuel an ongoing debate between religious and academic groups over the desired type of stem cell research.

Catholic Church Funds Adult Stem Cell Research