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When Obama ends federal
embryological - - - Some Scientists Weigh In On Stem Cell Funding http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/18534511/detail.html - - - Excerpts: ... "Which patient population will actually be the first to benefit? I tell people it's actually cancer patients." ... Technicians ... have found that cancers themselves are actually maintained by a stem cell population. So, they are working on ways to kill the cancer stem cells without harming normal stem cells. ... the cancerous stem cells in the tumor represent less than one percent of the total mass of the tumor. "Many of the traditional therapies that we use to treat cancer, treat the bulk of the cancer, but not the stem cell." ... Targeting the cancerous stem cells is the key according to scientists. "Which would lead us to generate more efficient and safer treatment for cancer patients." ... "It's very well documented that for every dollar that the federal government invests in basic biomedical research, there is a return of ten dollars." ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - January 14, 2009 White House stem cell shift expected http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7828800.stm - - - Excerpts: A major shift in White House policy on stem cell research is expected when Barack Obama takes office. The president-elect has been a strong supporter of embry- onic stem cell research. He is widely expected to lift restrictions imposed by Presi- dent Bush in August 2001. In his inaugural speech, Presi- dent Obama indicated he would restore science to what he calls its rightful place. Geron and Embryonic Stem Cell Research January 14, 2009 ... Geron, a biotech company based in "silicon valley" south of San Francisco, is set to take embryonic stem cells into the clinic. [insert -- Note that California, independent of federal fund- ing, has been working on embryological stem cell research for years, while federal funding has been handicapped by Bush restrictions. -- end insert] ... Twenty or thirty years from now, hopefully I'll be full of embryonic stem cell products that will keep me healthy into my 90s and beyond. "The impact of eight years under the previous administration for stem cell research has really been devastating." ... Geron wants to inject embryonic stem cells direct into the spine of newly paralysed patients. ... Geron's next application will be for a stem cell treatment for heart failure. It's also working on treatments for diabetes, liver disease, bone and cartilage repair. ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - Michael J. Fox hopeful on Obama's commitment to stem cell research http://tinyurl.com/MichaelJFoxObamaStemCells001 - - - Excerpt: ... Fox, afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, expects a very produc- tive "four-to-eight years", saying Obama "is a fan of science and intellectual curiosity" and is committed to moving for- ward with research. - - - end excerpt - - - - - - January 23, 2009 First Embryonic Stem-Cell Trial Gets Approval From the FDA http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123268485825709415.html - - - Excerpts: ... Geron Corp., a Menlo Park, Calif., biotechnology company, is expected to announce Friday that it received a green light from the agency to mount a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients. The announcement caps more than a decade of advances in the company's labs and comes on the cusp of a widely expected shift in U.S. policy toward support of embryonic stem-cell research after years of official opposition. ... - - - Graphic Displaying some of what Geron is Working On Involving Embryonic Stem Cells http://tinyurl.com/GeronEmbryonicStemCellBodyShop Highlights: Neural: Spinal cord and other degenerative nervous system diseases. Cardiac Muscle: Heart failure, heart attack. Osteoblast (bone): Osteoporosis, bone fractures. Islet (pancreas): Diabetes. Hepatocyte (liver): Liver failure. Cartilage: Arthritis. - - - ... Embryonic stem cells are the building-block cells that help drive prenatal development. Geron has developed banks of embryonic stem cells and found a way to coax them into differentiating as they do in nature into progenitors of specific cells that make spinal-cord tissue, heart muscle, carti- lage and other organs and tissues. Spinal-cord injury is one of medicine's most debil- itating conditions, typically causing paralysis and other issues for which there are few, if any, effec- tive treatments. The Geron study will enroll para- lyzed patients who can be treated within 14 days of their injury. ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - January 23, 2009 California poised to be leader in stem cell research http://tinyurl.com/CaliforniaStemCellResearch001 - - - Excerpts: With President Barack Obama expected to lift federal restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research, California's taxpayer-funded in- vestment has allowed it to build the infrastruc- ture that puts it ahead of every other state. The California Institute for Regenerative Medi- cine, created and funded by the passage of Pro- position 71 in 2004, has invested $625 million in stem cell research, aimed primarily at basic science and laboratory construction. That investment, and the promise of a $3 billion funding stream over 10 years, has given univer- sities and research institutes the confidence to create new stem cell programs. And it has attracted scientists and biotechnology companies to relocate here. ... Such progress may put California at an advantage for federal funding when restrictions are lifted and scientists around the country join a long line to apply for a limited amount of money. Robert Klein, the stem cell institute's chairman, and scientists around the state say they're optimistic about the changes that will occur when Obama fol- lows through on his pledge to work with Congress and lighten funding restrictions that President George W. Bush placed on human embryonic stem cell research in August 2001. "The federal restrictions created artificial barriers and walls to research based on moral and religious beliefs, and not scientific merit," said David Gollaher, president of the California Healthcare Institute. ... It remains to be seen whether Obama will issue his own executive order that rescinds Bush's, or whe- ther he will wait for Congress to pass a bill that would create clear funding pathways for the research as well as outline rules for how that research should proceed. ... - - - end excerpts - - - - - - January 23, 2009 Green light for US stem cell work http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7847450.stm - - - Excerpt: US regulators have cleared the way for the world's first study on human embryonic stem cell therapy. The move comes three days after the inauguration of President Barack Obama who has been a strong supporter of embryonic stem cell research. Since 2001 there have been limits [insert -- severe handicaps slowing embryonic stem cell research and stemming investment in said field in the US -- end insert] on federal funding for stem cells. Geron Corp, the biotech company behind the research, plans to initiate a clinical trial in patients paralysed due to spinal cord injury. The BBC predicted last week that the White House would reverse the restrictions placed on stem cell research once President Obama took office. The US Food and Drug Administration gave the go ahead for the research on Friday. ... "What stem cells promise for a heart attack or spinal cord injury or diabetes is that you go to the hospital, you receive these cells and you go home with a repaired organ, that has been repaired by new heart cells or new new nerve cells or new islet cells that have been made from embryonic stem cells." ... Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine at University College London, described the FDA decision as "historic" and a "pivotal milestone in the development of embryonic stem cell therapies. ... - - - end excerpts - - -
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