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March 10, 2009
Welcome to issue number 5 of Stem Cell Action News, dedicated to informing the stem cell community on the latest and most important developments impacting the Pro-Cures Movement.
Obama Lifts Stem Cell Restrictions
No Time for Complacency—Tough Stem Cell Policy Battles Ahead
Yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered a striking blow in favor of sound science by overturning the Bush Executive Order of August 9, 2001, which banned federal funding of embryonic stem cell research beyond the 21 presidential lines. The Genetics Policy Institute applauds President Obama for signing a new executive order that expands federal funding for this life-saving research.
However, at this pivotal moment the stem cell community can not become complacent. Our most difficult work lies ahead, as we expect research foes to unleash new legal roadblocks and delaying tactics by continuing to assert unsupported arguments playing upon ignorance and fear. We urge all stem cell stakeholders to take action and support yesterday's executive order and future advocacy 2.0 efforts.
In order to provide certainty, the next step is to protect embryonic stem cell research by legislation. Building on the momentum, it's time to repeal the Dickey-Wicker Amendment that serves as a blockade for funding research on work on embryos discarded from in vitro fertilization procedures to derive new cell lines or somatic cell nuclear transfer. We applaud Congresswoman Diana DeGette who has expressed her intention to seek reversal of this fundamental funding restriction.
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Headlines & Advocacy |
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| Obama overturns Bush policy on stem cells - BostonHerald.com 09/03-2009 13:22 (BostonHerald.com) |
| WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed an order today that allows federal taxpayer dollars to fund expanded embryonic stem cell research, reversing one of his predecessor's policies viewed by many as blocking development of potentially life-saving medical treatment. |
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| Eight Reasons to Applaud Action on Stem Cells 09/03-2009 13:20 (Center for American Progress) |
| Report: A Life Science Crucible: Stem Cell Research and Innovation Done Responsibly and Ethically Interactive timeline: A Brief History of Stem Cell Research President Barack Obama takes a first step today toward bringing the United States back to the scientific cutting edge by issuing an executive order... |
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| Obama Lifts Stem Cell Restrictions 09/03-2009 13:20 (Center for American Progress) |
| With the stroke of a pen, President Barack Obama today erased the Bush administration's eight-year-old restrictions on federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells, reaffirming his commitment to evidence and biomedical hope over his predecessor's ideological distortion of science. |
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| Obama Addresses Decision to Lift Embryonic Stem Cell Limits 09/03-2009 13:01 (The Washington Post) |
| PRESIDENT OBAMA: Today, with the Executive Order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers; doctors and innovators; patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: we will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem... |
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| Obama to Let Health Institute Decide on Stem Cells - NYTimes.com 08/03-2009 20:22 (The New York Times) |
| Filed at 7:02 p.m. ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will lift his predecessor's restriction on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research on Monday and will give the National Institutes of Health four months to come up with new rules on the issue, officials said on Sunday. |
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| Obama Expected to Reverse Limits on Stem Cells - NYTimes.com 06/03-2009 17:49 (The New York Times) |
| WASHINGTON President Obama is expected to announce on Monday that he is reversing Bush administration limits on federal financing for embryonic stem-cell research, White House officials said on Friday. |
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| Stem Cell Funding Roadblock 01/03-2009 12:07 (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News) |
| When President Bush assumed office in 2000, the human embryonic stem cell revolution was primed to launch. The outgoing Clinton administration directed the NIH to prepare comprehensive rules to govern the nascent field of discovery, with funding to follow. |
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| piggyBac transposition reprograms fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells 01/03-2009 03:58 (Nature.com refers DOI) |
| Knut Woltjen1, Iacovos P. Michael1,2, Paria Mohseni1,2, Ridham Desai1,2, Maria Mileikovsky1, Riikka Hämäläinen1, Rebecca Cowling1, Wei Wang3, Pentao Liu3, Marina Gertsenstein1, Keisuke Kaji4, Hoon-Ki Sung1 & Andras Nagy1,2 Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5,... |
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Stem cells give hope to ailing pets, rich owners - BostonHerald.com
BostonHerald.com - 02/22/2009 00:44 |
| CHICAGO - Meet Zoey Walsh, a teenage stem-cell recipient who is pushing the frontier of medical science. He's a dog. Unable to alleviate his pain with drugs and unwilling to risk another hip surgery on a dog so old, Zoey's owners turned to a treatment that involved injecting stem cells, which had been... |
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Stem Cell Treatment For Crohn's Disease
redtram (ENG) - 02/21/2009 22:14 |
| Hospital ClÃnic, Barcelona is one of the few hospitals in the world to apply this new therapeutic option for patients with Crohn's disease, and it does so with the guarantee of success experienced in the US and Italy, where the » Full text » 2009-02-22 03:14:46 Stem Cell Treatment For Crohn's Disease... |
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Donor-Derived Brain Tumor Following Neural Stem Cell Transplantation in an Ataxia Telangiectasia Patient
PLOS Journal - 02/18/2009 00:07 |
| Ninette Amariglio1,2, Abraham Hirshberg3, Bernd W. Scheithauer4, Yoram Cohen1, Ron Loewenthal5, Luba Trakhtenbrot2, Nurit Paz1, Maya Koren-Michowitz2, Dalia Waldman6, Leonor Leider-Trejo7, Amos Toren6, Shlomi Constantini8, Gideon Rechavi1,6* 1 Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center and Sackler School... |
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Stem cells to cure HIV?
Channel 7 abc - 02/11/2009 16:49 |
| NEW YORK (WABC) -- There is an amazing report in the New England Journal of Medicine, in which doctors say a stem cell transplant may have cured a man of HIV. |
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Stem cell treatment heals police dog
Channel 7 abc - 02/09/2009 14:12 |
| FREMONT, CA (KGO) -- The first human trials involving stem cell therapy were approved just weeks ago, but a growing number of other patients are already benefitting from stem cell treatments. |
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Hadassah urges action on stem cells
JTA - 02/08/2009 09:31 |
| WASHINGTON -- A pro-stem cell research coalition which includes Hadassah urged President Obama to act quickly on the issue. In a letter to the president, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research said it was encouraged by a media report that Obama told a member of Congress it was a "guarantee" he... |
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Stem cell, cloning expert Jerry Yang dies
Capital Press - 02/07/2009 00:34 |
| HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) - Xiangzhong "Jerry" Yang, a Chinese-born stem cell scientist who successfully cloned the first farm animal in the United States, has died after a long battle with cancer. |
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Stanford Scientists Awarded $10.7 Million in Latest State Stem Cell Grants
Stem Cell Arabia - 02/04/2009 01:53 |
| December 12, 2007 - Stanford, California- Stanford University School of Medicine researchers today received $10.7 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in awards designed to help jump-start the careers of young scientists in the field of stem cell research. |
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UCSB gets $1.2 million stem cell grant
Santa Barbara News - 02/01/2009 04:57 |
| The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded a $1.2 million training grant to UCSB to fund Stem Cell research. BILL McMORRIS, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER 2009-02-01 09:57:48 UCSB gets $1. |
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Policy |
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| Management fails at stem cell centre 03/03-2009 09:12 (The Australian) |
| AUSTRALIA'S $115 million taxpayer-funded flagship for financing stem cell research was sliding towards insolvency as early as 2009-10, hit by high corporate costs and poor management, a review into the Australian Stem Cell Centre reveals. |
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| $1 Billion for Stem Cell Labs: Troubles and Status 02/03-2009 00:20 (California Stem Cell Report) |
| California's $1 billion stem cell lab construction program will be under scrutiny on March 9 as the state's stem cell agency weighs a request for changes in one approved grant while other recipients report difficulty in raising the required matching money to build their labs. |
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Embryonic Stem Cell Bill Defeated
D County - 02/24/2009 09:35 |
| The South Dakota legislature had been considering a repeal of the state ban on embryonic stem cell research. However, the state senate voted yesterday voted to reject SB 195 by a vote of 20-14. |
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Funding for stem cell body drained
Congoo - 02/17/2009 14:09 |
| THE Australian Stem Cell Centre will be scaled down and shed its role as a research funding body under a new business plan being finalised by the interim board. |
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Vietnam opens 1st stem cell bank for medical purposes
Scottrade - 02/15/2009 22:58 |
| Vietnam's first stem cell bank MekoStem opened in southern Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday, offering services of cell collection, analysis and separation for medical treatment purposes, the local newspaper Young People reported Monday. |
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Missouri stem cell ballot measure prompts two lawsuits
Missourian - 02/10/2009 16:40 |
| JEFFERSON CITY — A proposed constitutional amendment barring the use of public funds for abortion and human cloning has prompted dueling lawsuits contending the ballot summary is insufficient and unfair. |
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Doyle urges passage of federal stem cell bill
Bio-Medicine - 02/06/2009 06:52 |
| In the House, the Wisconsin delegation voted along party lines, with Democrats Dave Obey, Ron Kind, Tammy Baldwin, and 2009-02-06 11:52:14 Doyle urges passage of federal stem cell bill... |
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Oklahoma stem cell funding plan approved
NewsOK.com - 02/04/2009 20:11 |
| State lawmakers have given preliminary approval to legislation that could provide nearly $2 million for adult stem cell research in Oklahoma. House Joint Resolution 1035 by Rep. |
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Stanford Scientists Awarded $10.7 Million in Latest State Stem Cell Grants
Stem Cell Arabia - 02/04/2009 01:53 |
| December 12, 2007 - Stanford, California- Stanford University School of Medicine researchers today received $10.7 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in awards designed to help jump-start the careers of young scientists in the field of stem cell research. |
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Science
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piggyBac transposition reprograms fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells
01/03-2009 03:58 (Nature.com refers DOI)
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| Knut Woltjen1, Iacovos P. Michael1,2, Paria Mohseni1,2, Ridham Desai1,2, Maria Mileikovsky1, Riikka Hämäläinen1, Rebecca Cowling1, Wei Wang3, Pentao Liu3, Marina Gertsenstein1, Keisuke Kaji4, Hoon-Ki Sung1 & Andras Nagy1,2 Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5,... |
Human Stem Cells Provide A New Model For Lou Gehrig's Disease, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Study
Biospace - 02/24/2009 10:59 |
| ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2009) — Motor neurons derived from embryonic stem cells mimic the progress of familial ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating condition in which motor neuron degeneration causes progressive loss of movement and muscle tone,... |
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Reprograming of Stem Cells by a single gene: Oct4
Scientist Solutions - 02/11/2009 22:36 |
| If you follow the stem cell literature, this latest finding is of special interest. A group from Germany was able to reprogram cells into stem cells by expressing a single gene: Oct4. |
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Stem Cell Breakthrough for Diabetes Treatments
Invest Victoria - 02/01/2009 17:43 |
| Stem cell researchers backed by a joint Victorian and NSW Government grant have created Australia's first human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line. The ability to produce human iPS cell lines locally will greatly assist researchers to progress their research into the causes of serious diseases and to d... |
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NeoStem Obtains Exclusive Worldwide License to Innovative Stem Cell Technology and Applications for Anti-Aging Skin Rejuvenation Therapies
Cai Hua Net - 02/23/2009 22:26 |
| æ—¥ 08:01 æ¥æºï¼šæ–°åŽç¾Žé€šã€å—ä½"：大 ä¸ å°ã€` License Enhances NeoStem's Presence in Anti-Aging Arena NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Alternext US: NBS), which is pioneering the pre-disease collection, processing and long-term storage of adult stem cells for future medical need, announced today it has signed a license agreement to obtain the exclusive worldwide rights to innovative stem cell technology and applications for cosmetic facial and body procedures and skin rejuvenation... |
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Neuralstem's ALS Trial with Stem Cell Therapy Delayed
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - 02/20/2009 11:14 |
| GEN News Highlights Neuralstem reports that its spinal cord stem cell trial to treat ALS is on clinical hold. FDA has provided the company with specific comments, questions, and recommendations for modifications to its protocol. |
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Ficano venture aims to lure stem cell work to Wayne County
Detroit Free Press - 02/13/2009 04:27 |
| Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said Thursday that county government will partner with Tech Town at Wayne State University to try to bring embryonic stem cell business to southeast Michigan. |
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Osiris touts stem cell trial results
Fierce Biotech - 02/12/2009 12:01 |
| Osiris shares soar on $1.38B Genzyme pact ALSO NOTED: Osiris files IPO; Amgen initiates kidney disease study; and much more... Osiris Therapeutics blueprints $80M IPO SPOTLIGHT: Osiris granted orphan status Osiris gains $50M Osiris Therapeutics says its final set of two-year results from a trial for... |
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Stemgent Licenses TET's Stem Cell Reprogramming Reagents
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - 02/11/2009 14:48 |
| GEN News Highlights Stemgent entered into an agreement to market reagents based on TET Systems' technology for creating inducible stem cells. Stemgent will apply Tet Technology to its portfolio of viral vector systems for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. |
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Edinburgh: Producing neural tumour stem cells
Congoo - 02/10/2009 20:56 |
| unityResearchers at the have developed a new method of producing neural tumour stem cell lines. A patent covering all available territories has been filed and the university is seeking commercial partners to license the technology. |
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Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. Provides Corporate Update
Sys.Con Canada - 02/09/2009 11:21 |
| CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/09/09 -- Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (the "Company" or "SCT") (TSX VENTURE: SSS) announces today an update on key corporate developments and strategies. |
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World First For Glasgow University As Stem Cell Therapy Trials Are Approved
redtram (ENG) - 02/04/2009 04:33 |
| ReNeuron announced today (19 January 2009) that it has received approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to commence a first-in-man clinical trial for the treatment of patients who have been left disabled by an ischaemic » Full text » 2009-02-04 09:33:58 World First For... |
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Aastrom Heart Stem Cell Trial on Hold After Adverse Event
Pharmacy Choice - 02/03/2009 22:50 |
| Aastrom Biosciences Inc., a company that is developing stem cell products, said Monday that a patient enrolled in the company's U.S. Phase II heart failure trial developed a serious adverse event associated with anesthesia management during treatment at one of the study sites. |
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Contact GPI
Robert E. Margolin
Associate Director
908-605-4203
rob@...
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