New Era for Stem Cell Research
Administration Approach Combines Science and Ethics
SOURCE: University of Wisconsin-Madison/Jeff Miller
Developmental biologist James Thomson works at a microscope in his research lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in April 1999. Thomson directed the research group that reported the first isolation of embryonic stem cell lines from a nonhuman primate in 1995, work that led his group to the first successful isolation of human embryonic stem cell lines in 1998.
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Word is out that on Monday President Obama will order a roll-back of the Bush administration’s restrictions on federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells. By doing so, Obama will help the United States retain and reclaim worldwide leadership in the fast-moving and promising field of regenerative medicine.
The greatest potential for making advances in regenerative medicine lies in the ability of scientists to tap into the process of cell differentiation and development. This requires studying the development of a wide variety of human cells from their very beginnings—something U.S. scientists have been hard-pressed to do under the Bush policy, which made fewer than two dozen cell lines available out of the hundreds that have been cultivated worldwide.
Although details have yet to be released, the next steps are likely to involve a formal promulgation of guidelines for ethical research. And happily, Congress also appears to be moving apace to codify the essential elements of ethical embryonic stem cell research—something legislators did twice during the Bush administration, only to see the President veto the law twice—which will prevent future presidents from obstructing this important work.
Basic research in stem cell science promises to offer revolutionary new ways of treating diseases, but the process of getting these technologies out of the labs and into clinical trials is sure to be slow. Only recently, after more than a decade of basic research, did the FDA approve the first clinical trial for a stem-cell based therapy. The new U.S. policy will let more scientists get to work on the basic studies that will serve as the foundation for tomorrow’s new medical treatments.
Jonathan Moreno is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and of the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Editor-in-chief of Science Progress.
Rick Weiss is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Science Progress.
Read the latest from the Center for American Progress and Science Progress in stem cell research policy:
Report: A Life Sciences Crucible: Stem Cell Research and Innovation Done Responsibly and Ethically (CAP)
News: Stem Cell Science Takes and Ambitious Step Forward (CAP)
Timeline: A Brief History of Stem Cell Research (SP)
Top Eight: Eight Reasons to Applaud Action on Stem Cells (CAP)
Comments on this article
Welcome step .It will help Scientific Community at Global level.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:32 am