 |
 |
US sets up national stem-cell bank Tue Oct 4, 2005 11:36 AM ET By Maggie Fox WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The University of Wisconsin, where human embryonic stem cells were first isolated, will host the first federally funded bank of the valuable cells, the U.S. government said on Monday. * * * * "The National Stem Cell Bank, awarded to the WiCell Research Institute in Wisconsin, will consolidate many of the federally funded eligible human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines in one location, reduce the costs that researchers have to pay for the cells, and maintain quality control over the cells," the NIH said in a statement. The NIH also said it would fund two centers, at the University of California, Davis and Northwestern University in Chicago, for embryonic stem-cell research. * * * * President George W. Bush announced a compromise in August of 2001, saying federal funds could be used to study only those batches, or lines, of human embryonic stem cells that already existed at the time. The Wisconsin center will care for and distribute many of these. Many scientists have complained that these cell lines are now outdated and hard to work with, and there is a debate over what kinds of research they might be useful for. Members of Congress who support expanding federal funding of embryonic stem cells said the move to establish the research centers was not enough. "The reality is that the best way to jump start embryonic stem cell research in this country... is to expand the federal policy so scientists have access to the most technologically advanced, cleanest, genetically diverse and disease specific lines possible," said Colorado Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who supports expanded federal funding of stem-cell research. Dr. James Thomson of WiCell, who first found human embryonic stem cells in 1998 and who will help head the stem-cell bank, agreed. "Although the creation of this center is very important, I hope that NIH will ultimately decide to fund additional similar centers across the United States to support this rapidly expanding field," Thomson said in a statement. The NIH earmarked $16.1 million over four years for the stem cell bank and $9.6 million for the research centers. "This resource will enable us to fully analyze, characterize and control the quality of approved cell lines," NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni said in a statement. Source: Reuters Oct. 4, 2005 http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews <http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=uri: 2005-10-04T153621Z_01_SCH456127_RTRUKOC_0_US-STEM-CELL.xml&pageNumber=1&summ it> &storyID=uri:2005-10-04T153621Z_01_SCH456127_RTRUKOC_0_US-STEM-CELL.xml&page Number=1&summit= ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn