President Barack Obama’s Stem Cell Policy to Further Boost Activity
President Obama established a policy in 2009 “Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells”. Federal funding will help boost research into stem cells derived from banks specializing in storing umbilical cord blood and menstrual blood storage. Menstrual blood banking has been touted as a renewal source of stem cells and Celle, a division of Cryo-Cell is actively promoting its menstrual blood bank, offering women a chance to store their stem cells for future use.
That there is a frenetic pace in research in stem cells is shown by the fact that 13 new stem cell lines were added to the National Institutes of Health Human Stem Cell Registry and 96 more lines, developed by researchers, are under c consideration. The President’s policy will help patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, neurological disorders and brain injuries to recuperate with easy availability of stem cells at an affordable cost. Such critical cases, when treated with stem cell transplants have almost fully recovered in quite a few experimental operations conducted in the US and elsewhere, offering hope in serious “no-hope” situations.
Though this move was blocked by a federal court order on the application filed by the Nightlight Christian Adoptions group contending that this will decrease human embryos available for adoption, the stumbling block should be resolved soon, paving the way for better health for a vast number of the patients in terminal stages.
When a US District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an injunction blocking funding of researchers working on stem cells on the ground that it violated a federal that prohibits federal tax money being used for research, the Justice Department stepped in and requested the judge to revise his order for the larger benefit of mankind. The government claims that staying such a research project could cause immense harm to lifesaving efforts and medical breakthroughs with more than significant hopes of success. Such an injunction, the department contends, would result in no benefit as millions have already been spent through public funding and shutting it down serves no purpose nor brings the money back.
When viewed with the President’s policy, it seems that the atmosphere in the country is quite favorable for a tremendous growth in stem cell research and applications.
That there is a frenetic pace in research in stem cells is shown by the fact that 13 new stem cell lines were added to the National Institutes of Health Human Stem Cell Registry and 96 more lines, developed by researchers, are under c consideration. The President’s policy will help patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, neurological disorders and brain injuries to recuperate with easy availability of stem cells at an affordable cost. Such critical cases, when treated with stem cell transplants have almost fully recovered in quite a few experimental operations conducted in the US and elsewhere, offering hope in serious “no-hope” situations.
Though this move was blocked by a federal court order on the application filed by the Nightlight Christian Adoptions group contending that this will decrease human embryos available for adoption, the stumbling block should be resolved soon, paving the way for better health for a vast number of the patients in terminal stages.
When a US District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an injunction blocking funding of researchers working on stem cells on the ground that it violated a federal that prohibits federal tax money being used for research, the Justice Department stepped in and requested the judge to revise his order for the larger benefit of mankind. The government claims that staying such a research project could cause immense harm to lifesaving efforts and medical breakthroughs with more than significant hopes of success. Such an injunction, the department contends, would result in no benefit as millions have already been spent through public funding and shutting it down serves no purpose nor brings the money back.
When viewed with the President’s policy, it seems that the atmosphere in the country is quite favorable for a tremendous growth in stem cell research and applications.
