On August 23rd, a federal district judge issued a temporary ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Because of the court injunction, the NIH reports that it will not review grant applications involving stem cell research, and similar grants that are up for renewal will not be funded.
In response to the court injunction, The Endocrine Society is re-issuing its 2009 Position Statement calling for an increase in NIH funding for stem cell research as well as expanding the scope of funding to include promising yet neglected areas of stem cell research.
Specifically, The Endocrine Society supports the following positions:
– An increase in NIH funding for stem cell research;
– An increase in the number of embryonic stem cell lines for NIH-funded research;
– A broadening of the scope of federally funded research to include cells generated through somatic cell nuclear transfer;
– Availability of federal funding for the derivation of embryonic stem cells from discarded in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos and through somatic cell nuclear transfer;
– Adherence to the highest ethical and scientific research standards; and
– Federal oversight of embryonic stem cell research to assure ethical standards are always met.
Embryonic stem cells are unique in that they can be induced to become any cell in the body, including cells with special functions, such as the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas or the beating cells of the heart muscle. Stem cell research could lead to promising treatments for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS and many others.
Source: Endocrine Society