Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research – Part 2

Thought I’d revisit my previous post on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (FFESCR).

When we last left the situation, President Obama had signed an executive order allowing scientists to apply for FFESCR for more than just the 21 lines grandfathered in by President Bush’s 2001 executive order.  The NIH had 3 months to rewrite the rules governing FFESCR.  That was 9 March 2009.

Two days later, on 11 March 2009, President Obama signed HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act for the rest of fiscal year 2009.  Usually a non-newsworthy event.  However, section 509 contains what is known as the Dickey-Wicker amendment – an ammendment that has been in every appropriations bill since FY1997 – which states, in part:

None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for … research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death…

So two days after President Obama opened up FFESCR, he promptly closed FFESCR for the rest of the fiscal year (FY2009 ends 30 September 2009).  Oops.  That’s development 1.

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Obama to Open Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research

President Obama will announce tomorrowMonday that he is reversing President Bush’s ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research (AP, Bloomberg). With the announcement, President Obama will become the second American President to allow the use of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The first, of course, was President Bush. Bush’s 2001 announcement declared that federal funding would be available for the 21 lines created before the announcement, but no others.  The ban – and President Obama’s lifting of the ban – does not change the policy for privately-funded research.

One of the President’s advisors is quoted as saying Obama plans to “use sound, scientific practice and evidence, instead of dogma” to guide his policy, rebuking the previous administration.

The announcement indicates the NIH will have 3 months to write new rules governing the research.

The announcement comes three years after Japanese researchers have shown they can transform skin cells into cells with embryonic stem cell properties.  Last February, those results were confirmed by scientists at UCLA.  With the announcement, researchers can apply for funds for stem cell lines outside the original 21 just like they would apply for any other research grant.

Adult stem cells are currently used in the treatment of some 75 diseases.  With the current success of adult stem cells and the ability to turn cells into embryonic stem cells, I wonder if opening up funding is really necessary.

What do you think?

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