Organized by the South Dakotans for Lifesaving Cures, the petition drive comes eight months after President Barack Obama overturned a 2001 order by then - President George W. Bush that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding embryonic stem cell research beyond
the existing stem cell lines.
In September Harvard University scientists reported using
existing stem cell lines — not eggs — to create more stem cells.
In yesterday's order, Lamberth wrote that they did not: «The prior [Bush Administration] guidelines, of course, allowed research only on
existing stem cell lines, foreclosing additional destruction of embryos.»
Not exact matches
In August of last year, President Bush approved the use of federal funds to support research on a limited number of
existing human embryonic
stem cell lines.
Although he never banned this research outright, President Bush limited federal funding for research to the embryonic
stem cell lines that
existed before August 2001, thus drawing a
line at destroying human embryos created after that date.
He ruled that work on
existing embryonic
stem cell lines derived outside federally funded labs did not violate a ban on the destruction of embryos.
In one promising approach, cellular reprogramming,
stem cells can be generated by fusing adult skin
cells with embryonic
stem cells from
existing cell lines.
In 2001, after President Bush limited federally funded research to 69
existing embryonic
stem cell lines, Melton launched a private fund - raising crusade and developed 17 new
lines that are now available to any reputable
stem cell researcher.
Their research showed that primordial follicles are highly stable, and that germ -
line stem cell activity can not be detected, even in response to the death of half the
existing follicles.
While American
stem cell researchers were celebrating the final NIH
stem cell guidelines, questions remain, particularly whether the National Institutes of Health will approve
existing lines in time for use with stimulus funds.
Stem cell advocates have been expressing serious worry that ethical requirements spelled out in the draft guidelines — in particular, informed consent procedures for embryo donors — will rule out the use of many existing human embryonic stem cell lines, including the 21 lines approved under the Bush Administrat
Stem cell advocates have been expressing serious worry that ethical requirements spelled out in the draft guidelines — in particular, informed consent procedures for embryo donors — will rule out the use of many
existing human embryonic
stem cell lines, including the 21 lines approved under the Bush Administrat
stem cell lines, including the 21
lines approved under the Bush Administration.
Importantly, researchers must still study
existing embryonic
stem cell lines — the gold standard — to rule out any hidden risks in the lab - made
cells, he says.
Tensions have escalated since August 2001, when President George W. Bush limited publicly funded research on embryonic
stem cells to already
existing lines.
In August of last year, President George W. Bush announced that scientists who received public research money could use only the human embryonic
stem -
cell lines that already
exist — a decision that dismayed many researchers.
The only
stem cell research he would permit, Bush said, was research using
existing embryonic
lines as well as so - called adult
stem cells, which occur in anyone of any age.
Last week, Roe Jung - hye announced that an internal investigation found that Hwang had deliberately falsified data in the May paper and that only two
stem cell lines existed out of the 11 cited.
Such an immunological exemption could alleviate many concerns about using
cells for therapy that don't exactly match the recipient's immune system - such as
existing embryonic
stem cell lines that are not directly derived from the recipient.
The order severely restricts embryonic
stem cell research to
existing lines of
cells and bans federal funding for any research expansion outside his directive.
Current policy only allows federal monies to be used for research on 21
stem cell lines that
existed before 2001.