"Given the promise of stem cell research for treating and perhaps curing a variety of debilitating diseases, our committee felt strongly that research not be limited, but include work on both human adult and embryonic stem cells," stated committee chair Bert Vogelstein, professor of oncology and pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in releasing the report. "We also believe that new embryonic stem cell lines will need to be developed in the long run to replace existing lines that become compromised by age, and to address concerns about culture with animal cells and serum that could result in health risks for humans."
The NAS Committee on the Biological and Biomedical Applications of Stem Cell Research was assembled earlier this year by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. The report of their deliberations, "Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine,"1 had been finalized prior ...
