© James E. Hernandez
The conventional wisdom among the scientific community and the public is that the present federal US policy on stem cell research, which provides National Institutes of Health funding only for research on stem cell lines developed before August 2001, has significantly reduced funding for stem cell research and diminished the translation of this platform technology to important therapies. But there's another side to this argument: that the present US policy has actually increased stem cell funding and research worldwide, thus mobilizing state governments, industry, and philanthropy to fund this promising technology.
The NIH has supported significant stem cell research, especially related to postbirth and adult stem cells, including bone marrow, cord blood, peripheral blood, and adipose tissue. It is likely that research in nonembryonic stem cells has been facilitated by Bush's policy because it has provided more federal funding for US researchers. It should be noted ...
