Stem Cells Cultivated Free of Animal Contaminants

qewl writes "In a follow-up to this story, researchers at Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology have created a new method of growing human embryonic stem cells that has overcome the major obstacle of animal contaminants to their use for human treatments. As President George W Bush has restricted federal funding of this research to limited cell lines existing since 2001, scientists have strived to find ways to keep the lines pure. Irina Klimanskaya and colleagues at ACT grew the stem cells from the beginning on a cell and serum-free mixture called an extracellular matrix. "The importance of this work, of course, is that by eliminating contact with animal and human cells, you minimize the risk of contamination with pathogens that could be transmitted to patients and the population at large," Dr. Lanza at ATC said."

Comments

Re:Interesting logic

[ckemp.org]

Perhaps... restricting relative to other countries?

Re:Interesting logic

[ckemp.org]

Right, well then try this or this, then. Either way, the point is the same: we aren't moving at the same speed as others.

Re:Interesting logic

[geneing]

Please, stop listening to "propaganda". Read the full story is below. I would say that if Gore became president the funding for stem cell research would be much less restricted.

From Wikipedia: "In 1995, Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, prohibiting federal funding of research that involves the use of a human embryo. Privately funded research lead to the breakthrough which made embryonic stem cell research possible in 1998, however, prompting the Clinton Administration to develop federal regulations for its funding. Preparations for this funding were completed in 2001."

This has nothing to do with aborted babies

[qewl]

I have no idea what you're talking about, but embryonic stem cells are harvested from left over in-vitro cells (and harvested at the blastocyst stage) that would otherwise be discarded. This has nothing to do with abortion or fetuses!

The original source of that joke

[kevinatilusa]

was a similar comment made by Lyndon Johnson ("If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read "President Can't Swim").

Interesting that people are now modifying that quote to talk about bias form the Liberal side now.

Haven't you even been listening?

[bloggins02]

One is destined to become a child

No, NO, NO. You don't even have to "open your mind" to understand this, just freakin' pay attention! The embryos we're talking about here are from failed IVF trials. They aren't destined to become children, they're destined to be incinerated.

the other is destined to be grown in a petri dish and then harvested like a crop of corn

Which is, obviously, much worse than burning it to a crisp and throwing it away, forgotten forever.