From HealthNewsDigest.com
Obama Stem Cell Action to Provide Major Boost to California Research Efforts
By
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:01:11 AM
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - STANFORD, Calif. - President Obama's expected reversal on Monday of the ban on federal funding for many types of human embryonic stem cell research will have an immediate and dramatic effect on institutions such as Stanford University and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, experts say. The availability of federal funding for research on cell lines that had been off-limits during the Bush administration, coupled with billions of newly available dollars in federal stimulus money, could set the stage for a tidal wave of support that could propel stem cell research well into the next decade - if things move quickly.
"This action is both welcome and overdue," said Philip Pizzo, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and a member of CIRM's governing board. "This vote of confidence from President Obama in the promise of embryonic stem cell research validates and extends CIRM's mission to help millions of people suffering from currently incurable medical conditions. It is also a powerful signal that advances in medical research must be pursued even in times of economic difficulty and may ease concerns about funding for the institute."
CIRM was established in early 2005 after California voters passed Proposition 71. That proposition provided $3 billion over 10 years to fund stem cell research at nonprofit research institutions around the state. California's recent budget impasse left the institute scrambling for funds when it was unable to sell bonds on the public market. As a result, the institute has recently been exploring the options to place bonds with private investors, who may be reassured by strong federal support for the research.
The recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 awarded the National Institutes of Health $10 billion to spend in the next two years - $7.4 billion of which will be disbursed to its various institutes and centers. The NIH is expected to fund both previously submitted and new grants that are likely to make progress within the next 24 months.
Stanford has received about $100 million from CIRM - more than any other California institution. Although the exact wording of the expected executive order is unknown, a repeal of the federal funding ban would further widen the field of opportunity for human embryonic stem cell research and cement Stanford's standing as a leader in stem cell research.
"Thanks to CIRM, Stanford and other California institutions have a head start in this type of research and we can therefore take full advantage of the newly available federal funds," said Irving Weissman, MD, director of Stanford's Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute. "We can lift the bureaucracy that has been established to scrutinize every purchase by every lab, and move forward with this important research. We can also bring together thought-leaders from the scientific community and the government to craft appropriate policies to regulate human embryonic stem cell research. In these hard economic times, it is wonderful to inject some hope into our medical researchers, as well as the stimulus for the kinds of research that should grow a new industry and improve medical care."
The action, which had been expected to occur shortly after the inauguration, will fulfill a major campaign promise by Obama and allow federal funds to be used for research on dozens of human embryonic stem cell lines derived after Aug. 9, 2001, when former President George W. Bush announced the restrictions. Scientists have argued that the 21 cell lines approved by Bush for federal funding were seriously flawed and unfit for use in humans. Since then, many more human embryonic cell lines have been derived without the use of federal funds and researchers have struggled with the need to provide separate non-federally funded facilities and equipment to conduct the necessary research.
Weissman plans to attend the signing of the order in Washington, D.C., on Monday. It's a long way to go for a short ceremony. "I never thought I would actually fly cross-country just for something like this," said Weissman, "but then I changed my mind. I've been working and speaking out about the ban for about eight years, and now I want to be there."
For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.
www.HealthNewsDigest.com
© Copyright by HealthNewsDigest.com
