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I wrote: "We do not know how much the [Christopher Reeve] foundation knew of this work." Boy, that was dumb! It sounds like I'm saying the folks at foundation didn't know what they spent their money on! Let's see... At the foundation web site historical list of grants http://paralysis.apacure.org/research/histgrants.html I found "Itzhak Fischer, Ph.D., MCP Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA ; Development of strategies for transplantation of marrow stromal cells in injured spinal cord." This doesn't quite say changing marrow cells to nerve cells, but that is sort of implied. Fisher is not mentioned among the authors of the study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience Research article I cited earlier, nor do I see any reference in the Foundation's list to that project. The journal article says the project was funded by NIH grants AR44210 and HD23315 and Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Grant IBC-9501. The NIH abstract for HD23115 says: "Grant Number: 5P01HD23315-12 PI Name: BLACK, IRA B. PI Title: Project Title: GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM "Abstract: The central objective of this program project is to define integrative principles governing the diverse processes of brain development. We hypothesize that reciprocal neuron-neuron and neuron-glial-neuron interactions, mediated by a limited set of intercellular signals, coordinate seemingly unrelated developmental events. Specifically, (a) trophic factors, including the diffusible neurotrophin gene family members, b) growth (mitogenic) factors, including bFGF, c) membrane-bound, chemorepulsive, cellular labels of the Eph gene family, and d) conventional neurotransmitters working combinatorially, synchronize the developmental sequence. These molecular signals coordinate neuronal mitosis, selective survival, axogenesis, pathfinding, topographic projection and synaptic plasticity. The epigenetic molecular signals mediate and integrate neural activity, trophic and glial coordination of proliferation, selective survival, pathway formation and synaptic function. We will employ multidisciplinary molecular genetic, biochemical and morphologic approaches to study neuronal development in vivo and in culture. We plan to define a) neuroblasts, b) the role of peripheral bFGF in brain neurogenesis, c) the role of the p75 neurotrophin receptor in developmental cell death and survival, d) the role of Eph family ligands and receptors in brain topographic projection, e) trophic regulation of synaptic plasticity and 3) the role of astrocyte-neuron interactions in brain development." Well, I don't recognize anything about turning bone marrow cells into nerve cells here, but I don't understand much of this. I couldn't find AR44210. Anyway, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Richard M. Doerflinger says at http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/publicat/lifeissues/08182000.htm of Christopher Reeve's testimony to Senator Specter's subcommittee: "This groundbreaking research [transforming bone marrow to nerve cells] was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, both of which strongly support human embryo research. An extra surprise: The Foundation's subsidized researchers submitted this astonishing study for publication on March 31 – a month before the Foundation had Mr. Reeve testify that adult stem cells are incapable of producing different cell types. How could Foundation officials have been unaware that their testimony was false?" "He then says that this is an "apparent instance of anti-life politics falsifying science". I e-mailed the Foundation to ask what they have to say about this. Phil Tompkins