Editorial: Marking a milestone

Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006 | 7:22 a.m.

The Nevada Cancer Institute has treated some 1,600 patients since opening its doors in September 2005, bringing the hope of clinical trials and state-of-the-art cancer treatment to a community not always known for its medical specialities.

According to information released by the center this week, the facility already has been involved in more than 30 clinical trials and has expanded its outreach efforts with offices in Sparks, Elko and Fallon. The institute's goal is to create a comprehensive research facility under the auspices of the National Cancer Institute. But it won't be easy.

The center's research on therapies that could target leukemia stem cells was among those programs that closely followed a potentially landmark stem cell research method that was disclosed recently. But this new research method did not, as had originally been reported by national media outlets, guarantee the survival of the embryos from which stem cells were drawn for the study. And because the Bush administration stands firmly opposed to using cells taken from embryos, this could create a political roadblock in this research.

Nonetheless, as the Sun reported Saturday, researchers from Advanced Cell Technology believe the principle behind their research is valid because it shows that a single cell taken from an embryo can create viable stem cell lines. The Bush administration hasn't been hospitable to embryonic stem cell research, but that a facility capable of performing this kind of research exists here in the Las Vegas Valley still offers hope.