The possibilities of Stemcells
In March 2009, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that he said would allow federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells because “medical miracles do not happen simply by accident.” That executive order overturned a long-standing Bush administration policy limiting government funding of human embryonic stem cell research to cell lines already in existence as of August 2001. Subsequently, in early July 2009, the U.S. government, specifically, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), issued final guidelines describing which embryonic stem cell lines will be eligible for government funding, effectively expanding the universe of stem cells that can be used for research.
As a result of these changes at the policy and legislative levels as well as the ongoing research being done in labs every day across the U.S., there is a new hope that the opportunity is now, perhaps unlike ever before, to find new treatments, possibly even cures, for devastating diseases. In the past months alone we’ve seen stem cell advancements related to eliminating cancerous tumors and cells in mice, growing new coronary arteries in dogs—a finding that could lead to new ways to treat atherosclerosis, identifying the master stem cell for the human heart, embedding a person’s stem cells into surgical thread—a procedure that may help improve healing and prevent re-injury, correcting electrical problems in the heart and many other exciting developments.
However, despite the new regulations and recent advancements, there are still many challenges associated with stem cell research including but not limited to political, social, manufacturing, pre-clinical testing, and regulatory issues.
At the iBridge Network we are focused on providing a forum that unites the stem cell universe of researchers, ReGEN industry leaders, funders, medical philanthropies, policy-makers, advocates, educators and regulators and provides them with the resources to connect, collaborate and license their work. As companies, researchers and universities alike continue to take great strides in furthering the knowledge we have about stem cells and advancing the possibilities for the betterment of overall health in the U.S. and around the world, it will be critical for those making it all happen to have a place they can share ideas, discuss challenges and opportunities, hear from other experts in the field and collaborate to make an impact. We have that in place for them already. We have a sponsor, Stemina, We have innovations posted. We have ongoing discussions taking place every day. Come join in. http://www.ibridgenetwork.org/forum/stemcells
