![]() Reeve noted that, although typically about a third of embryos are discarded as medical waste, even vocal opponents of using embryos for research have never suggested banning in vitro fertilization. Did he suddenly develop a new morality effective August 10th?” “Those lines were derived from leftover embryos from infertility clinics. Zerhouni, M.D., acknowledged that only 11 of those lines were eligible for federal research funds.) Reeve suggested that the decision made no ethical sense in light of Bush’s objection to using embryos for research. (Last May, National Institutes of Health Director Elias A. In a talk sponsored by the Yale Stem Cell Interest Group, Reeve criticized President Bush’s order of August 9, 2001, restricting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to only 64 extant cell lines. Reeve also hopes that stem cell research will lead to a cure for paralysis such as his, the result of a 1995 riding accident. Yet religious conservatives, including the Pope, he said, “have an undue influence in the debate.”īecause of their plasticity-their ability to differentiate into any cell in the human body-stem cells “have unlimited potential to cure disease,” Reeve told the crowd that filled the auditorium of the Anylan Center for Medical Research and Education. “When matters of public policy are being decided, no religion should have a seat at the table-that is what is provided for in the Constitution,” Reeve said. “We’re going to lose incredibly valuable time. “We’re giving away our pre-eminence in science and medicine,” he said. ![]() "It is important to remember that the development of stem cell-based therapies is still in its early stages and, under difficult economic circumstances, companies are occasionally forced to prioritise other therapies which are more developed.Social and religious conservatives have robbed American scientists of their chance to play a leading role in the promising field of stem cell research, actor and writer Christopher Reeve said during a visit to the medical school in April. It is disappointing that Geron has taken the decision to stop its spinal cord injury trial, but we hope that the company is able to find new partners who can take on the work and provide the necessary finance," said Ben Sykes, executive director of the UK National Stem Cell Network. "Stem cell research continues to show great promise in helping many people currently suffering from incurable conditions and injuries. Others reflected on the economic difficulties facing innovative companies, particularly at the present time. The heart is an organ that can give quantitative data of quality." "The first trials of stem cell that will give an answer are our own in the heart. And for that reason we should not be describing this as a setback," he said. "I have said publicly that the Geron trial had no real chance of success because of the design and the disease targeted. John Martin, professor of cardiovascular medicine at University College London, said the trial would not have been a success. "Making Superman walk would have been great for business but was an ambitious target for a serious problem and maybe not the best start scientifically or clinically for stem cell therapies," said Professor Alison Murdoch, head of reproductive medicine at Newcastle University. Some scientists responded with regret that Geron had found it necessary to pull out, while others doubted whether the company had been on the right track in the first place. It is a long way from the declaration of the former CEO Thomas B Okarma in 2009, that US authorities' granting of approval to start the trial marked "the dawn of a new era in medical therapeutics" which placed Geron "at the forefront of the medical revolution". ![]() The company would now be looking for partners to take on the stem cell work, he added. "This would not be possible if we continue to fund the stem cell programmes at the current levels," he said. The company can now meet those milestones without raising extra capital. "These two novel and promising oncology drug candidates target major unmet medical needs and have important clinical development milestones occurring over the next 20 months," said the chief executive officer, John A Scarlett. The treatment did not show the immediate promise many had hoped, but the company put the blame for the decision on the economy, saying it wanted to concentrate its resources on two new and promising cancer drugs, imetelstat and GRN1005. There were no ill effects, but Geron acknowledged that the patients had not seen any improvement, even though lab tests had given paralysed rats the power to move their hind legs. Four patients had been injected with Geron's stem cell therapy, the goal being simply to establish whether the treatment was safe.
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