Stem Cell Companies Looking Ahead to New Administration
Stem cell biotech companies are looking forward to the next presidential administration, reports CNN Money. All three of the leading presidential candidates–Senator John McCain, Senator Barack Obama, and Senator Hillary Clinton–have expressed a more tolerant view toward stem cell research than has the current President Bush.
CNN Money reported:
Bush has twice vetoed legislative attempts to expand the funding, including those backed by McCain, Clinton and Obama. In reference to Bush’s policies, Obama has said, "Stymieing embryonic stem cell research is a step in the wrong direction." Clinton has called for funding for "additional cell lines in order to pursue the promising avenues for research." McCain has said "stem cell research has the potential to give us a better understanding of deadly diseases and spinal cord injuries affecting millions of Americans."
Following his second veto in 2007, Bush said the legislation "would compel American taxpayers - for the first time in our history - to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos." Instead, the president touted the therapeutic potential of stem cells taken from adult tissue.
Given the support by President Bush of the concept of taking taking stem cells from adult tissue and umbilical cords, the companies that have utilized this methodology such as Aastrom, Cytori Therapeutics , Stemcell, and Osiris Therapeutics have been somewhat shielded by the ongoing controversy, reported CNN Money. In contrast, the companies using the methodology of deriving stem cells from human embryos such as Geron, Advanced Cell Technology, Novocell and Neuralstem have found themselves right in the middle.
CNN Money predicts, however, that the new administration will benefit all of these companies, regardless of the methodology used, since investors will have a more positive view about the political climate for these companies and the funding is likely to be made available to them.
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