Last month, a federal court ruling prohibited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The ruling is currently being appealed, but in the meantime, many people have been asking what this means for the stem cell clinical trial for Canavan disease towards which Jacob’s Cure is currently working. Although $70 million in federally funded embryonic stem cell research has been abruptly halted, privately funded research like ours is not directly affected at the present time.
Patrick J. Kiger, in his blog entitled Stem Cell Ruling Will Slow Research—But Not Stop It, does a good job of clearly laying out what will and will not be affected. For example, the Geron trial of their embryonic stem cells for spinal cord injury will be able to proceed because Geron is funding the trial on their own without assistance from the government. Although this ban feels like a step backwards towards the hostile environment created under the Bush government, there is hope that necessary legislation could still be passed this fall to ensure this vital, lifesaving research continues.
Please continue to follow our blog for legislative action updates and additional information about our research and the stem cell ban.
Human embryonic stem cell research holds great promise for the development of treatments for people threatened by potentially curable diseases. The recent court ruling that halted the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research could cause irreparable damage and delay potential breakthroughs to improve care for people living with serious diseases and conditions such as spinal cord injury, diabetes, or Parkinson’s disease. The injunction threatens to stop progress in one of the most encouraging areas of biomedical research, just as scientists are gaining momentum—and squander the investment we have already made. The possibility of using these cells to replace those that have been damaged by disease or injury is one of the most breathtaking advances we can envision. Human embryonic stem cells also represent a powerful new approach to the early stages of screening for new drugs, and may hold the secrets to creating entirely new, targeted clinical therapies. We must move forward—without delay—to sustain this field of research that provides so much hope for thousands of patients and their families. -Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health
(Note: The Parkinson’s Action Network set up this link so you can email your representatives and ask them to make stem cell legislation a priority. Please make sure you personalize the email for the most impact by mentioning Canavan or telling your story! Click Here to Send a Message)
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