Articles of Interest

Commentaries:

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) advances

The Bioethics Defense Fund provides answers to some common claims about induced pluripotent stem cells from proponents of embryonic stem cell research.

Adult stem cell success

David Prentice and Gene Tarne discuss the over-hyping of embryonic stem cell research. They provide example of how scientists, advocacy groups, celebrities and politicians made outlandish claims about embryonic stem cell research and downplayed the success of adult stem cells.

Michael Fumento discusses how breakthroughs in adult stem cell research are too often ignored by the American media.

Challenges with using embryonic stem cells in human patients

James Sherley, a MIT adult stem cell researcher, shares some of the problems with human cloning and embryonic stem cell research.

Dr. David Prentice discusses some of the problems with embryonic stem cells and some of the uses of adult stem cells in the Journal of Investigative Medicine.

Human Cloning

Ethical problems with embryonic stem cells

Robert George discusses embryo ethics and human embryos are "undeniably whole living members of the species Homo Sapiens."

Mark Blocher discusses some problems with arguments made in favor of embryonic stem cell research.

Nov. 14, 2011 - Geron, the biotechnology firm conducting the first-ever human embryonic stem cell trial and a key player in launching the field, unexpectedly announced that they were giving up on embryonic stem cells entirely. The company claimed the decision was due to financial difficulties, and noted that there were “no signs” that any of the patients in their clinical trial to treat spinal cord injuries were being helped.

July 27, 2011 - A U.S. District Court has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the Obama administration's funding of embryonic stem cell research. The lawsuit was based on the interpretation of the 1996 Dickey-Wicker Amendment which prohibits the federal government from supporting research that destroys human embryos with tax dollars.

Aug. 23, 2010 - A U.S. District Court has issued a preliminary injunction in the case of Sherley v. Sebelius on August 23 that stops guidelines allowing federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Judge Royce Lamberth wrote that guidelines drafted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are in probable violation of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment which prohibits the federal government from supporting research that destroys human embryos with tax dollars.

July 20, 2010 - The first ever clinical trial using embryonic stem cells had been cleared by the FDA to proceed. The trial has been promised for many years and was delayed one year ago by the FDA due to safety concerns. The small trial will only be testing the safety of using embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries.

Aug. 18, 2009 - The Food and Drug Administration has ordered a delay in Geron Corporation's first-ever trial using human embryonic stem cells. The delay is the latest in a long series of false starts for the planned trial.

June 26, 2009 - The Empire State Stem Cell Board has decided to allow researchers to use New York state tax dollars to entice women into “donating” their eggs.

Feb. 17, 2009 - The AP reported that an Israeli boy who traveled to Russia for a “highly experimental” treatment with neural stem cells was diagnosed with tumors on his brain stem and spinal cord. The neural stem cells were taken from several aborted human fetuses.

Feb. 2, 2009 - Experiments mixing human and animal DNA to create hybrid creatures have all failed, said Dr. Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts. Scientists hoped to create human-animal hybrids to harvest stem cells for patients, but none of the creatures survived long enough to extract stem cells.

Sept. 21, 2008 - The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports from the 2008 World Stem Cell Summit that the two companies co-founded by stem cell pioneer Dr. James Thomson have merged and shifted away from embryonic stem cells to iPS cells.

Aug. 18, 2008 - U.S. News & World Report has a story on a Stanford study showing that using human embryonic stem cells in mice triggered immune system responses. It could be a big roadblock in using embryonic stem cells in humans.