Cells from an aborted fetus in the 1970s have been used in clinical trials.
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RBM ONLINE / LIFE SCIENCE / AP / SIPA
The experimental treatment administered to Donald Trump against Covid-19, described by the latter as a "miracle sent by God", is notably composed of cells derived from tissues of aborted fetuses, reveals
MIT Technology Review
.
However, his administration has always formally opposed research using elements taken from fetuses after a termination of pregnancy.
Neither the government nor the activists fighting against the right to abortion, however, have criticized the care given to Donald Trump.
It takes an expert to make the link between fetal tissue and the advanced antibodies produced by the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals laboratory.
Hamster cells
The molecules entering into the composition of the treatment are thus produced using cells extracted from hamster ovaries, explains the pharmaceutical company.
Tissues from aborted fetuses have fulfilled another role in the development of the drug.
The HEK 293T cells used in tests to assess the effectiveness of the treatment were initially isolated from kidney tissue from an abortion performed in the Netherlands in the 1970s. Since then, these cells have been abundantly enriched. and artificially modified in the laboratory.
"No fetal tissue"
These latest versions were used for tests which identified the most suitable antibodies to fight the coronavirus.
They are far removed from the original cells and current debates concerning medical research on elements resulting from abortions.
"The 293T cell lines available today are not considered as fetal tissue, and we have also not used fetal tissue," said Alexandra Bowie, spokesperson for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, to the American magazine.
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