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In the otherwise excellent AP article of 5/29 by Christopher Newton that begins "Seven scientists and actor Christopher Reeve have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Bush administration of illegally withholding funding for stem cell research," the statement "Stem cell experiments on animals have shown promising results, but there is no conclusive evidence of the potential benefits of stem cell therapies on humans" is unfair, inaccurate, and misleading. The statement implies that embryonic stem cell therapies have been tested on humans without conclusive results. But the fact is that it is simply too early in the history of stem cell research for such tests to have occured. And the opposition to funding is holding back the time when this can begin. Results of some animal experiments are sufficiently promising to justify research that leads to tests involving human subjects. For example, see the AP report of February 16 which describes how Parkinson's disease was cured in mouse models of the disease. Also, biotech companies such as Ariad Pharmaceuticals, BresaGen, Geron Corporation, Raven Biotechnologies, Neuronyx, and Vistagen are so sure of the potential benefits that they are engaged in stem cell R&D projects. There may not be "conclusive evidence" yet, but there is a high degree of confidence, and that is all that is possible at this point. Phil Tompkins Amherst, Massachusetts ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn