First Human Embryonic Stem Cell Study Approved

dogmatixpsych writes "The FDA recently approved a privately funded study where human embryonic stem cells will be transplanted into subjects with complete spinal cord injuries. All trials will be paid for and conducted by researchers working for Geron Corporation. The stem cells come from the existing lines Pres. Bush approved federal funding for in August 2001. With Barack Obama now president, many scientists believe federal funding will soon become available for embryonic stem cell research on new cell lines, resulting in additional similar studies."

Comments

Another big corporate handout in the making.

[tjstork]

At least we can safely say that Democrats have no problem with corporate welfare either. Yep, all of these embryonic stem cells are miracle cures, but, god forbid, every biotech company feels the need to pony up to Washington so Obama can pay for the research.

Man, there's been a law that said that private companies can't do their own stem cell research, its only been federal funding. And if these stem cells require so much federal funding to research, just how great can they really be? I would think a farsighted company would invest in this stuff on its own merit. I mean, if Microsoft can blow $100 million in 199x dollars to make Bob and Clippy, don't you think a big pharma company could fund a drug based on stem cells that might make people walk again? Geez, I would think the demand justifies the research. But oh no, scientists and the suits they work for are too lazy to even take that risk, and its taxpayers on the hook for that too.

It's bad enough that universities are already allowed to patent research that taxpayers pay for, which is pretty much bullshit. Now, we have to pay these people to research something that they will patent so that they can turn around and charge us millions of dollars for a drug we've already paid for. What a bunch of crooks. Burn Harvard down!