US Stem Cells Contaminated

Croaking Toad writes "According to The Register, US-based scientists using stem cells has hit a brick wall. The stem cells apparently have been contaminated for quite a while with animal proteins rendering them useless in the treatment of human illnesses. New stem cell harvesting was outlawed in the USA by a 2001 Executive Order from President Bush." To be precise, stem cell harvesting wasn't outlawed; the usage of federal funding was outlawed. Several states and research institutions have been using their own money to undertake research. The AP coverage is up as well. Update: 01/24 19:40 GMT by J : Carl Zimmer has a fascinating description of the sugars we humans lack that contaminated the stem cell lines. What a curious genetic heritage we have...

Comments

Liberal Liars posting on /. ? Can't be?

[dbretton]

But it's true.

Bush's law prohibits federal funding for stem cell research, nothing else. Private firms may do as they wish. In addition, as far I can determine, the law does not prohibit state funding for stem cell research. This would be a great way for some states to attract biotech business.

Re:Republican Response

[ackthpt]

"Good! Now all the unholy poor will die faster!"

NeoCon response:

"At least the weren't exposed to Stem Cells of Mass Destruction."

Re:"New stem cell harvesting was outlawed in the U

[RailGunner]

It doesn't matter - Embryonic Stem Cells don't work. Stem Cells harvested from Umbilical Cords, on the other hand, *do* work, and there's no restriction of Federal Money to harvest stem cells from what would otherwise just be medical waste.

Also - your sig is wrong. He doesn't say "I Am the New #2" - just "The New Number 2"

And now I want to go listen to that song.

Re:"New stem cell harvesting was outlawed in the U

[anagama]

You demonstrate a few dozen cells have human consiousness, and I'll concede your point about "precious" lifeforms.

Hmmm .... precious .... more like disgusting. Childfree now and forever. Sadly though, my business partner is infested meaning I'll have to pick up the slack for a while. Don't see anything precious about that either!

Re:Now Californias

[sfjoe]

On the bright side, at least Callifornia has a huge new government jobs program.


Yes, and now the gap between the wealth-producing states and the wealth-consuming states will be even larger. We Californians will be forced to send even more of our federal tax monies to the backwards-assed states (i.e. "red") states.

Re:This is news?

[freemacmini]

Yes but he was going to let the homosexuals get married and probably teach evolution in schools. We can't have that can we?

Re:Why does it have to be the US gov?

[Brew Bird]

It HAS to be the US government, because GW MUST be the scape goat to all that is evil in the world, in order for the bunch that didn't vote for him to feel important and 'validated'.

The same folks that are all for democracy, as long as they win? Poor loosers... sad, really.

Re:"New stem cell harvesting was outlawed in the U

[nemesisj]

While I agree with you that the religious right constituency is misinformed with regards to many things, abortion related or ortherwise, you are equally misinformed.

The religious right position on life is that life begins at conception (when a sperm and egg unite). Under this definition, any embryo destroyed is most certainly an abortion.

This is the crux of the entire stem cell issue (from the religious right standpoint), and I'm amazed you don't understand this concept, yet choose to talk about this issue as if you are well informed.

Re:"New stem cell harvesting was outlawed in the U

[TheMeuge]

Your utter ignorance is the reason why America is falling behind in terms of scientific progress. I hope a terrible degenerative disease claims your life. And as it slowly turns you into a vegetable, you can ponder how nice it would be, if you didn't project your ignorance about stem cells onto the rest of the population and allowed the research to proceed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, including yours. Embryonic cells are the only absolutely pluripotent cells. The umbilical cord cells are partially differentiated, and some pathways have already been closed for them. And before you reply with an equally dumb statement, please refer me to where you got your M.D. or your Ph.D. Frankly, unless you have or are at least in the process of getting a degree in life sciences, your "opinion" about what works and what doesn't is nothing more than hot air, with a heavy stench of bullshit and christian right propaganda.

Does anybody read executive orders? Apparently NOT

[mrbrown1602]

You obviously haven't even read the text of that 2001 Executive Order because you're too busy with your head shoved up that ass full of Democratic rhetoric.

In your comment, you suggested that if a group, college, or organization is receiving federal funding of ANY kind for ANY kind of research, they cannot do embryonic stem cell research unless they want to lose their federal funding. BZZZZT!!! Wrong.

From that same page I linked you to:

No federal funds will be used for: (1) the derivation or use of stem cell lines derived from newly destroyed embryos; (2) the creation of any human embryos for research purposes; or (3) the cloning of human embryos for any purpose. Today's decision relates only to the use of federal funds for research on existing stem cell lines derived in accordance with the criteria set forth above.

In other words, federal funds cannot be used for embryonic stem cell research (with the exception of the 60 stem cell lines that had already existed as of 2001). No need to repost your comment because the "right-wing" modded you down... you were modded down because you were WRONG.