Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) — A scientist sent packing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for opposing embryonic stem cell research is moving ahead with adult stem cells. James Sherley, senior scientist at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute, is raising $25 million to establish a new not-for-profit adult stem cell technology center. The center would serve as a stem cell bank and a research, training, and development resource for stem cell technologies, Sherley said. Sherley said the center would partner with local biotech companies to do something unique. It would use any developed proprietary adult stem cell products to mass produce mature cells to meet a company’s specific needs. This includes offering a reliable source of a wide variety of adult stem cells beyond what is typically available, including pancreas, skeletal muscle, liver, kidney and skin cells. He said adult stem cells don’t produce tumors like embryonic ones, and their development for treatments is more mature than that of embryonic stem cells. “We’re not seeking investors who are motivated for profit,” said Sherley. “We’re looking for a kind of sponsor, and the ideal sponsor would be the state of Massachusetts.” Sherley was denied tenure at MIT after fighting for over two years to get it. Sherley has been an outspoken advocate against human cloning — including the kind of therapeutic cloning his colleagues and other scientists want to use to create and destroy human embryos for their stem cells.
