Researchers clone human embryonic stem cells.

Research on human embryonic stem cells generated extensive coverage in most of the nation's most widely circulated papers and online. However, while some sources characterized the research as a major advancement, others, like the Boston Globe, claimed it was "not a breakthrough." Meanwhile, some outlets touted the finding's potential to eventually benefit patients with certain health conditions, while others sources were more skeptical. Much of the coverage focused on the potential impact the research may have on the stem cell debate.

        In a front-page story, the Los Angeles Times (5/16, A1, Healy, 692K) reports, "For the first time, scientists have created human embryos that are genetic copies of living people and used them to make stem cells - a feat that paves the way for treating a range of diseases with personalized body tissues but also ignites fears of human cloning." Should the methods be "replicated in other labs," they "would allow researchers to fashion human embryonic stem cells that are custom-made for patients with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and other" conditions.

        The New York Times (5/16, A17, Pollack, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports, "The researchers, at Oregon Health and Science University, took skin cells from a baby with a genetic disease and fused them with donated human eggs to create human embryos that were genetically identical to the 8-month-old." The scientists "then extracted stem cells from those embryos." This "embryo-creation technique is essentially the same as that used to create Dolly the sheep and the many cloned animals that have followed."

        The AP (5/16, Ritter) reports, "Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon Health & Science University, who led the research, said the success came not from a single technical innovation, but from revising a series of steps in the process." Mitalipov "noted it had taken six years to reach the goal after doing it with monkey embryos."

        Bloomberg News (5/16, Tirrell) reports, "The advance was enabled by a surprising ingredient, according to the report: caffeine gave the cells the boost they needed to remodel the donor DNA into embryonic cells."

        In an article titled "Experiment Brings Human Cloning One Step Closer," the Wall Street Journal (5/15, A2, Naik, Subscription Publication, 2.29M) points out, however, that the scientists were far from actually making a human clone.

        The NBC News (5/15, Fox) "Vitals" blog reports, "Lots of testing lies ahead and because of laws banning the use of federal money to directly make human embryos, Mitalipov's lab uses private funds instead." However, Mitalipov "believes the method cannot be used to make human babies."

        USA Today (5/15, A1, Vergano, 1.71M) reports on its front-page, "The real significance of the advance may be to re-ignite debate over human cloning, says bioethicist Insoo Hyun of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland." According to the Food and Drug Administration's Curtis Allen, "Basically, FDA has jurisdiction over clinical research using cloning technology to create a human being." So far, according to Allen, the agency "has not licensed such a therapy."

        The US News & World Report (5/16, Koebler, 1.13M), however, reports that the new research "could help quiet the ethical debate surrounding stem cell research."

        Meanwhile, the Washington Post (5/16, Brown, 489K) points out that "few experts think that production of stem cells through cloning is likely to be medically useful soon, or possibly ever."

        The Boston Globe (5/16, Johnson, 250K) reports that the "paper, published in the journal Cell, is generating little excitement." While "it is a key technical advance," it is "not a breakthrough." Conversely, on its website, FOX News (5/15) calls it "a major medical breakthrough" with "major implications for the future of medical treatments."