August 9, 2001. Seven years ago President Bush placed limits on stem cell research, by limiting federal funding support to cell lines created prior to that date.
Ten years ago, Dr. James Thompson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered human embryonic stem cells, the undifferentiated progenitor cells that grow into mature, or differentiated, cells and tissue.
At Americans for Cures Foundation, we’re celebrating another milestone: a new therapy based on human embryonic stem cells is ready for the clinic. In May 2008, Geron, a California-based company, announced that it had submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA to study the beneficial effects of modified embryonic stem cells in patients with spinal cord injury.
The question of ten years ago, "Will stem cell research have clinical value?" has been answered. The new question is "when," not "if."
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