Change in Federal Stem Cell Funding Policy Spurs Interest in Field

Extract

The recent action by the Obama administration to overturn restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is expected to breathe new life into the field.

The change in policy, which was made official on March 9, lifted the ban on the use of federal funds for any research involving human embryonic stem cell lines established after August 9, 2001, when then-President George W. Bush announced an executive order creating the restrictions. A 1996 law still bans the use of federal funds in the destruction of a human embryo, a necessary step in creating such cell lines, but those created with private or state funding are now eligible to be used in federally funded projects.

“At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown, and it should not be overstated,” said President Barack Obama, announcing his executive order overturning Bush’s. “But scientists believe these tiny cells may have the potential to help us understand, and possibly cure, some of our most devastating diseases and conditions … Parkinson’s, cancer, heart disease, and others that affect millions of Americans and the people who love them.”